Former True Fitness, True Yoga workers attend job-matching session after chains’ sudden closure

SINGAPORE – Former employees of True Fitness and True Yoga received job-matching assistance on Sept 17, about a week after the fitness chains abruptly ceased operations in Singapore.

The session was organised by NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), the National Instructors and Coaches Association (NICA) and the Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers’ Union (SMMWU), an NTUC-affiliated union.

It drew close to 40 attendees, with more than 100 job roles from over 60 companies offered through on-site recruitment and online job listings, according to a joint statement by SMMWU, NICA and e2i on Sept 17.

An earlier joint statement on Sept 14 said affected workers would also receive guidance and advice on workplace matters at the session, and SMMWU’s membership team would also be on site to support members.

One attendee, a 36-year-old fitness instructor who declined to be named, said the session helped him understand the job opportunities and career pathways available in the fitness industry.

“I’ve been working in fitness for six years, including four years as an SAF fitness trainer, and it gave me a better sense of what I can do next,” he said.

He added that he was looking at courses to upgrade himself and exploring areas such as Hyrox coaching.

Another attendee, project executive Arivinthan Rajanthran, 33, said the session helped “put people’s minds at ease” and gave affected workers an opportunity to speak directly with potential employers.

Arivinthan, who has 11 years of experience in the fitness industry, said he approached ASES, one of the employers at the session, after having previously submitted his resume to the company. “As I was walking around, everyone was very helpful and kept reaching out to say, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got you.’ That was probably the most comforting thing to hear and receive during this time,” he said.

The job-matching session took place at the Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability in Jurong East.

Approached after the event, one attendee said it was a difficult period not only for the affected employees but also for their families, but did not wish to elaborate.

Another said: “It was a good thing I came down because I was able to receive advice on how we could move on.”

Both did not want to be named.

True Fitness and True Yoga’s sudden closure on Sept 10 left hundreds of employees and freelance instructors looking for work.

Temporary financial support of up to $6,000

True Fitness and True Yoga are non-unionised, but some of their workers are SMMWU members.

The union said it was assisting affected members, and had called on the two companies to work with it to provide support to affected workers.

The Sept 14 statement also said eligible Singaporeans and permanent residents could receive employment support through the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme, which provides temporary financial support of up to $6,000 over six months for involuntarily unemployed individuals.

The Singapore Fitness Alliance (SFA) had earlier said it was working with NICA and e2i to help more than 200 affected employees and freelancers find new jobs.

SFA president and co-founder Sean Tan told The Straits Times that about 235 affected employees and freelancers had contacted the industry association by Sept 13.

Their contact details and latest job descriptions were to be circulated among SFA members, which include Fitness First, Virgin Active, Anytime Fitness and Yoga Movement.

By the evening of Sept 13, 32 businesses or companies had expressed interest in hiring affected workers, according to Tan.

Closures came with little warning

The closures came with little warning for employees. Two workers previously told ST that they received an e-mail from the company’s human resources department at about 10.30pm on Sept 10 informing them that all outlets would be closed with immediate effect.

Around 50 former employees subsequently gathered at a liquidators’ meeting at the company’s office in Claymore Hill in the Orchard Road area on Sept 11.

True Fitness and True Yoga are part of what their Hong Kong-listed parent company, Kontafarma China Holdings, refers to as the True Singapore Group.

The Singapore business also operated centres under the TFX and Yoga Edition brands.

According to Kontafarma’s bourse announcement on Sept 10, the True Singapore Group recorded revenue of about HK$181.2 million (S$29.4 million) and a loss of about HK$34.3 million for the year ended Dec 31, 2025.

Kontafarma also said the group had total assets of about HK$149.7 million and liabilities of about HK$555.5 million as at Dec 31, leaving it with net liabilities of about HK$405.8 million.

Kontafarma said it had provided cash funding to support its Singapore fitness business, but the business continued to underperform and face “significant liquidity pressure”.

It also disclosed that True Fitness owed about $2.3 million to an unnamed bank for a loan guaranteed by Kontafarma.

ACRA BizFile records obtained by ST on Sept 17 show that True Fitness, incorporated in Singapore in 1997, is in liquidation under a creditors’ voluntary winding-up.

Its principal activity is listed as fitness centres and gymnasiums.

Insolvency practitioners Goh Wee Teck and Lin Yueh Hung of RSM SG Corporate Advisory were appointed provisional liquidators.

Kontafarma said extraordinary general meetings of True Fitness and True Yoga are scheduled for Oct 7, when resolutions for creditors’ voluntary winding-up will be proposed, followed by creditors’ meetings.

The Consumers Association of Singapore said it had received 241 complaints by 6pm on Sept 11 from consumers affected by the closures, with reported losses exceeding $609,000 from unused memberships, packages and services.