5-Year-Old Irvine Health Club--Hurt by Recession, Competition--Will Close
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IRVINE — An Irvine health club is closing after five years because of the recession and heavy competition, according to a letter being sent to the club’s 800 members.
The California Coast Club plans to close April 2 but will try to transfer its members to the Sporting Club at Lakeshore Towers, states the letter, dated Monday.
The decision to close was something that the board of directors “labored over for quite some time, hoping as we delayed our decision that the bottom was in sight and improvement just around the corner. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be and we have finally faced the tough and painful reality that we need to move on,” the letter states.
Operations Manager Tom Blanset said the California Coast Club would need about 200 more members to stay in business. He said he will be among the two dozen employees, most of them part time, who will be looking for new jobs.
The club offered a combination of personal attention, a family atmosphere and amenities such as child care that are hard to find at other clubs, Blanset said.
Members paid $49 a month after a $99 initiation fee.
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