DW Sports blames coronavirus closures for collapse into administration

The group, founded by former Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan, blamed the coronavirus lockdown and forced closure of its retail and gym sites for the administration. 

Restructuring firm BDO have since been confirmed as the administrators, and have said it will be ”working towards saving as many jobs as possible through a possible sale of all or part of the business as a going concern.”

DW Sports, which owns 73 gyms and 75 stores across the UK, said it would be shutting down its ecommerce arm today and that 50 of its stores would “continue to trade and will all be moving into closing-down Sales today”. It has already closed 25 other stores in recent weeks. 

The group said that its separate Fitness First business would be “unaffected” by DW Sports’ administration. 

While the company said it would look to “save as many gyms as possible”, it added that it was “inevitable that some will close”.

DW Sports said that 59 of its gyms have reopened in England and Northern Ireland, while a further 14 sites across Scotland, Wales and parts of England remain closed due to government restrictions. 

DW Sports chief executive Martin Long said it would work with the administrator to “secure a purchaser or purchasers for some or all of the DW Sports portfolio”. 

Long said: “As a consequence of Covid-19, we found ourselves in a position where we were mandated by government to close down both our retail store portfolio and our gym chain in its entirety for a protracted period, leaving us with a high fixed cost base and zero income.

“Like many other retail businesses, the consequences of this extremely challenging operating market have created inevitable profitability issues for DW Sports. The decision to appoint administrators has not been taken lightly, but will give us the best chance to protect viable parts of the business, return them to profitability and secure as many jobs as possible.”

Long added: “It is a difficult model for any business to manage through without long-term damage, and with the limited support which we have been able to gain.

“Having exhausted all other available options for the business, we firmly believe that this process can be a platform to restructure the business and preserve many of our gyms for our members, and also protect the maximum number of jobs possible for our team members.

“Our commitment as part of the gym sector across the UK to support the health and the fitness of the nation has not changed, and we remain committed to ensuring our members maintain their fitness goals with us where possible.”