New York Sports Club closing Long Island gym after lease renewal falls through

A New York Sports Club in Hicksville will close this month after failing to reach a deal on a lease renewal, the gym chain said.

The 32,000-square-foot club, which has been at 100 Duffy Ave. since 2008 under a 15-year lease, will close May 31, the chain said.

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“With the challenging state of commercial real estate, we have been unable to secure an amicable lease agreement at this location. Closing this club was a difficult decision. We worked tirelessly to reach an agreement to continue operations at this club while making investments to improve the products and services offered, however we were unable to reach an agreement to continue operations at the Hicksville location,” the company said.

Through subsidiaries, New York Community Bancorp Inc. owns the Hicksville building, where it has a bank branch, and its headquarters building next door at 102 Duffy Ave. 

The bank declined to comment.

There are about 15 employees at the Hicksville sports club; the chain said it is working to transfer them to other NYSC locations.

There are two other Long Island NYSC clubs — in Garden City and Oceanside — but there used to be 12, before former parent company Town Sports International's Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing and sale of the gym chain in 2020. Founded in 1973, the chain used to be known as New York Sports Clubs (plural), and there were more than 150 locations just a few years ago. 

Town Sports blamed shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic for the bankruptcy.  The company operated a total of 185 clubs, including Lucille Roberts women’s fitness centers and other gym chains, before the filing, which led to the closing of 110 gyms, including 13 on Long Island.

NYSC and Lucille Roberts were bought out of bankruptcy in 2020 by a group of investors, including Peak Credit, which is part of investment bank Lepercq, de Neuflize and Co.

“The company restructured our operations and organization, including establishing new leadership to strengthen and better position our business to succeed in the future,” New York Sports Club said Monday.

Under the new ownership, the chain’s name was changed from plural to singular, becoming New York Sports Club. The company now operates 54 fitness locations, including 48 NYSC locations and four Lucille Roberts, one of which is on Long Island. 

By Tory N. Parrish

tory.parrish@newsday.comToryParrish1

Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.