Common Bond Shuts All London Fitness Studios Without Warning

Common Bond, the company behind premium fitness brands Barrecore, Boom Cycle, Kobox, Reformcore and Triyoga, has abruptly closed all of its studios, leaving customers and instructors in the dark over money they are owed.

The company emailed customers on Wednesday announcing that its locations, all of which are currently in London, were closed "until further notice". Its website is no longer publicly accessible.

In the email, seen by the BBC, the company wrote: "We're sorry to let you know that all Common Bond studios are closed until further notice. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and disruption this may cause. We understand this is frustrating, and we appreciate your patience while we work through this."

The closures hit a business that positioned itself at the top end of the boutique fitness market. Common Bond describes itself as a wellness collective and charges £2,400 for 12 months of unlimited classes. As recently as August last year, the firm said it operated ten sites across its five brands.

Instructors told the BBC they learned of the shutdown only through the Wednesday email. They said they had already been warned last week that their pay would not arrive on time.

One instructor said she and her colleagues were informed their wages would be delayed on the very day payment was due, 14 August. "In good faith, I continued to teach my classes without any news on when or if payment would be made. I have heard absolutely nothing since," she said.

It is not clear how many instructors and customers are affected by the sudden closure decision. The BBC has contacted Common Bond for comment.

Corporate filings deepen the picture of a young company under strain. Companies House records show Common Bond was incorporated only in June last year, meaning it has not yet published any accounts. The most recent filings show a director, Ben Allen, left the role last month. That leaves Gaspar Lipszyc, listed as a Belgian national living in Spain, as the company's only currently shown director.

Barrecore is the group's brand specialising in barre, a fitness discipline combining pilates, ballet and yoga. The low-impact workout has surged in popularity in recent years, with high-profile figures including Pippa Middleton among those who have praised its benefits.

For customers holding annual memberships at £2,400, the immediate question is whether they will recover any of their prepaid fees. For instructors, the question is whether wages owed from mid-August will be paid at all. Neither has received answers so far, and the company has yet to explain what triggered the shutdown or whether any studios will reopen.

The sudden collapse of a ten-site operator barely a year after incorporation will also fuel wider concern about consolidation and financial fragility in London's boutique fitness sector, where customers routinely pay large sums upfront for long-term memberships.