, the owner of – an existing gym in the plaza – said he was not notified of the gym’s upcoming arrival by landlord Acadia Realty until after the deal was public.
Snap Fitness owner Alex Leyberman said when he got word of having competition in the same shopping center the response Acadia gave him was simple: Having LA Fitness in the plaza was a smart business move.
While “LA Fitness Coming Soon” signs adorned the windows of the former Waldbaums for more than a month, .
Calls to Acadia Realty regarding Snap Fitness were not returned.
Snap Fitness has occupied the corner of Branch Shopping Plaza for two years and Leyberman said there are no plans to move in the future and a move might not be financially feasible for the gym.
“We're going to stick it out as much as we can,” he said. “They have a personal guarantee on the lease so even if we were to close down and move we still have to pay them a whole year of the lease, which is a lot of money.”
Leyberman said Snap Fitness would have to rely on and promote its non-intimidating, small gym status to keep the customers it has and build a larger client base.
“We are a never-crowded, smaller environment open 24-7, friendly, clean [and] non-intimidating. We try to stand on what we do best,” he said.
Leyberman said there are more than 1,400 Snap Fitness locations in the country and members can work out at any location. Leyberman is also the owner of Snap Fitness in East Northport.
