Local 24-Hour Fitness gyms sold to Oz Fitness

The 24-Hour Fitness gyms in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene have been sold to Ian Riley, a former competitive bodybuilder-turned-businessman.

Riley, of Sun Valley, Idaho, said members will notice few changes at first. There are no plans to tinker with rates and Riley won’t even change the name of the gyms – at least for now.

The biggest difference, he said, will be changes in management structure. He will spend considerable time traveling to the eight gyms he purchased on July 1. Besides the four in Spokane, and one in Coeur d’Alene, Riley’s company, Oz Fitness, also bought 24-hour Fitness gyms in Billings, Mont., and Eugene and Medford, Ore.

“I’ll probably spend half my time in Spokane,” he said. “That way I can see if the clubs are run well; if they’re kept clean.”

Riley said he began talking with 24-Hour Fitness about buying the gyms after talks with a major shareholder in that company.

24-Hour Fitness is sharpening its business focus on membership growth in large cities. That left the Spokane gyms for sale.

“There’s nothing wrong with the clubs here. 24-Hour Fitness is a good operation. As they say, there’s no need to fix something that isn’t broken,” Riley said.

He considers the gyms he purchased as having good opportunities for growth.

The eight gyms have a total of about 450 employees. He declined to disclose the sales price.

Riley has won several bodybuilding titles in his native Australia.