April 8th, Friday.
Pei Qian followed Assistant Xin to a high-end gym near the company.
The distance wasn’t far, just a five-minute walk from the company, and it wasn’t far from Handu University either.
The gym was located in a street-facing commercial space. The brand name was displayed on the main entrance: Platinum Sand Fitness, Handu University Branch.
These large characters were all in an artistic font, giving a dynamic and fashionable impression. Besides the clean floor-to-ceiling windows on the front of the gym, the sides of the main entrance were decorated with dynamic, abstract artistic paintings of figures in motion—someone jumping for a slam dunk, someone swinging a racket to hit a shuttlecock, someone wearing boxing gloves…
These artistic paintings were separated by lines, giving a comic-like feeling while further emphasizing the dynamic, youthful characteristics.
Pei Qian frowned slightly.
He was quite satisfied with the decoration of this store, which could be put into operation directly after taking over without wasting time. But he was a bit dissatisfied with the flashy entrance.
It was too eye-catching!
Tenda’s businesses should be as low-profile as possible.
But this was easy to fix. After taking over, he could find a construction team to repaint the facade, using a low-key color that wouldn’t attract attention.
These were all minor issues.
Before entering, Assistant Xin briefly explained the current situation.
“Mr. Pei, I had people inquire about several gyms nearby. Three gyms were willing to transfer ownership, and this gym has the best decoration that most closely meets your requirements.”
Platinum Sand Fitness is a national chain fitness brand with several branches in Jingzhou and has been expanding rapidly in recent years. But precisely because of this blind expansion, some problems have emerged.”
“The Handu University branch of Platinum Sand Fitness originally hoped to create a high-end gym near Handu University, targeting students and office workers in nearby buildings, but encountered some problems during operation.”
“There are too many gyms near Handu University. Many small gyms engage in price wars with very cheap annual cards, almost completely dividing up the fitness crowd in the area.”
“Even Platinum Sand Fitness has another branch just over a kilometer away, which severely diverts the customer flow.”
“From the beginning, the manager of this store targeted high-net-worth individuals, setting membership fees higher than other gyms.”
“It was fine at first. The gym’s good environment attracted some high-asset individuals. But as more and more cards were sold, potential users were exhausted. Revenue from new memberships and personal training could no longer cover operating costs. Eventually, it became financially unsustainable and fell into a state of loss.”
“If you’re interested in this location, you have two choices:”
“First, take over everything, including the gym’s members and coaching team. Of course, the manager would be eager for us to do this, but we can use this as a reason to negotiate a better price, perhaps even far below expectations.”
“The downside is that we don’t receive the money from these members’ gym cards; we just use this to negotiate some discounts from the original owner. Of course, we can continue to earn money from personal training for these members.”
“Second, only take over the venue, not the members and coaches, or even the equipment. Have the original owner clear out the store, and we’ll replan. There’s another Platinum Sand Fitness branch just over a kilometer away. We can have the original owner arrange for all these members to transfer their cards to that other branch.”
“Although this seems to lighten the burden, there are only so many people with fitness habits in an area. This might result in us being unable to attract members when we first open.”
Unable to attract members?
That would be perfect!
Pei Qian maintained a neutral expression. “Alright, I understand. I’ll handle the rest; you just take care of the paperwork.”
Assistant Xin nodded. “Yes, Mr. Pei.”
The two stepped into the Platinum Sand Fitness Handu University branch.
As soon as they entered, a man in a suit who looked to be in his thirties came forward to greet them.
“Mr. Pei! Hello, hello, I’m the manager of this store. My surname is Wei.”
Assistant Xin had already revealed Pei Qian’s identity to the manager, which was why he was so attentive.
Even among those looking to take over failing businesses, there were distinctions!
An extremely wealthy buyer was no longer just a takeover candidate, but a golden goose!
When Manager Wei heard that Tenda Group was interested in the store, he was immediately overjoyed.
The store had been consistently losing money. Manager Wei had already planned to transfer all members to the nearby chain store and then close down to stop the bleeding.
Now that Tenda Group was willing to take over, although he would still lose money, he could lose less, which naturally made him happy.
“Mr. Pei, let me give you a quick tour first.”
Under Manager Wei’s guidance, Pei Qian thoroughly examined the entire gym.
It was spacious, well-decorated, and among all the gyms in Jingzhou, the environment was relatively superior.
However, there was no swimming pool, sauna, massage, or other fancy amenities.
Pei Qian knew clearly that for a gym positioned as high-end, this was a moderate disadvantage.
For traditional gyms, the more comprehensive the facilities, the better. Gyms with swimming pools and saunas usually find it easier to attract members than others.
The reason was simple: for many novices, their mentality when choosing a gym was “I might not use it, but you can’t not have it.” They might not know how to swim now, but what if one day they suddenly felt like learning?
So, gyms with complete facilities, even if the membership cards were a bit more expensive, would still attract many buyers.
This was a disadvantage for others, but quite good for Pei Qian.
It further reduced the gym’s appeal!
Manager Wei obviously wouldn’t mention these things to Pei Qian; he just lavishly praised the gym’s large investment and bright prospects.
Pei Qian wasn’t listening, letting it go in one ear and out the other. When it came to price negotiations, he would just let Assistant Xin handle it.
After touring the gym, Manager Wei called all the fitness coaches to gather in front of Pei Qian, standing in two rows.
These fitness coaches all stood tall with chests out and stomachs in, full of vigor.
Finding a job as a fitness coach wasn’t easy these days.
If this store closed down, these fitness coaches would have to apply to other gyms, with no guarantee of success. Now that someone was willing to take over, it was best to make a good impression on the new boss and hope to be kept on.
Manager Wei’s intention was also clear. He certainly couldn’t place all these fitness coaches elsewhere. If Mr. Pei liked some of them and let them stay at this gym, that would be best.
“Mr. Pei, let me introduce you to several of our store’s most popular gold-medal coaches…”
Pei Qian raised his hand, interrupting Manager Wei.
Rather than relying on Manager Wei’s recommendations, he trusted his own eyes more.
His gaze quickly scanned these fitness coaches, then passed over each one.
Those with poor physiques definitely couldn’t be considered.
Such people could only survive in a gym because they were particularly good at selling courses, especially good at persuasion, and mentally agile. Bringing in such marketing talents would likely make him earn money until he vomited blood.
Those with expectant looks in their eyes and good mental states couldn’t be considered either.
These people were strivers, with positive work attitudes, who had been brainwashed by several gyms, but also did not meet his expectations.
Finally, Pei Qian looked past the bulging muscles of the coaches in the front row and locked onto a coach at the very edge of the back row who kept his head down.
Not very tall, wearing glasses, and looking relatively old from his facial features. Hidden behind other coaches, it was hard to tell what his physique was like.
“You, the brother with glasses, come out,” Pei Qian beckoned.
All the coaches’ gazes turned to this man in glasses. He raised his head in disbelief, somewhat confusedly pointing at himself.
Pei Qian nodded. “Yes, you. Come out.”
The man emerged from between the front-row coaches with a bewildered look and came before Pei Qian.
When Pei Qian saw this mountain-like physique, a scene from “Kung Fu Hustle” involuntarily appeared in his mind.
Surprisingly, this coach wasn’t tall, hidden behind other coaches without standing out, yet his muscles were so developed…
“What’s your name?” Pei Qian asked.
The personal trainer replied in a muffled voice, “Guo Licheng.”
Pei Qian was taken aback. “I’m asking for your real name, not your nickname.”
Manager Wei hastily explained, “Mr. Pei, this coach’s name is indeed Guo Licheng. His surname is Guo, and ‘Licheng’ comes from the phrase ‘establish sincerity.'”
Pei Qian: “…I apologize for my lack of culture.”
“But your name doesn’t sound very conducive to weight loss.” (Note: His given name sounds like “fruit stand sincere”)
Manager Wei quickly pulled Mr. Pei aside. “Ahem, Mr. Pei, there’s something I must clarify with you in advance.”
“It’s not that Coach Guo isn’t good, but he’s honestly not very smart, doesn’t understand management, and his interpersonal skills aren’t strong. His sales ability ranks at the bottom of the entire team.”
“Of course, if you simply want him as a personal trainer, that’s no problem—he’s very professional. But if you want him to manage the gym, there might be a slight issue…”
“Moreover, Coach Guo had already decided to leave the fitness industry.”
“I can recommend another coach to you who is no worse than Coach Guo, and is smarter and more resourceful. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!”
Pei Qian shook his head. “No need! I don’t want anyone except him.”
“Uh… alright.” Manager Wei wanted to persuade him further, but then thought that what happened to these coaches wasn’t his concern, so there was no need to meddle.
Manager Wei dismissed the other coaches, leaving only Coach Guo Licheng to await Mr. Pei’s instructions.
Pei Qian also briefly spoke with Assistant Xin.
“Remove all the fitness equipment and sell it second-hand to other gyms. We’ll replace everything with new equipment.”
“Have him transfer all the members to other chain stores; we won’t take them.”
“Keep only Coach Guo among the coaches. I’ll talk to him.”
“Find some minor flaws to negotiate the price down, but don’t be too harsh. Just make sure this manager doesn’t take us for easy marks.”
Assistant Xin nodded and went to discuss the contract with Manager Wei.
Meanwhile, Pei Qian approached Coach Guo Licheng.
Before he could speak, Guo Licheng said first, “Mr. Pei! I’m very sorry, but there’s something I need to clarify with you.”
“I’ve already decided to leave the fitness industry, so I’m sorry, but you should find another coach.”
Pei Qian was silent for a moment. “Are you sure you don’t want to hear about the salary first?”