Despite a sign on the door blaming a legal dispute with its Schaumburg landlord, all three locations of Signature Fitness Club across the region are permanently closed this week.
Furthermore, an anonymous handwritten letter posted on the door Tuesday challenged the original claims and urged patrons to be more aggressive in their efforts to get their money back.
Municipal officials in Schaumburg, Naperville and Yorkville said they had no knowledge of the reasons for the closings. But the Schaumburg location received its occupancy permit from the village as recently as March 22.
Joe Parrot, senior vice president of retail services at broker CBRE, said he could not comment on behalf of owner Global Net Lease, which did not respond to a request for comment.
Contradictory letters regarding the reasons for the closing of the Signature Fitness Club location in Schaumburg were posted on its door Tuesday.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
The listed phone numbers have been disconnected for the Signature Fitness Club locations at 141 Barrington Road in Schaumburg, 1531 N. Aurora Road in Naperville, and 825 Erica Lane in Yorkville.
A phone number for Sheldon Botha, named on the state’s business license, also was disconnected Tuesday.
A sign on the door of the Schaumburg location dated Monday was echoed by a social media post. It tells patrons that the closing was due to “unforeseen legal issues with the strip mall ownership.”
Signature Fitness Club was located between the two large anchors of Kohl’s and At Home in the Prairie Town Center.
A sign inside the front door of Signature Fitness Club at 141 Barrington Road in Schaumburg on Tuesday.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
“Despite our best efforts to reach agreements on delays and rent abatements, as well as navigating the complexities with the Village of Schaumburg and ordinance changes, we were unable to come to a resolution,” the company’s post reads. “Consequently, we were given only 48 hours to vacate the premises.”
The post continues to state the company was willing to navigate the challenges to find a solution but that the property’s ownership was not. It advises customers who made purchases by credit card to dispute those, while refunds for other forms of payment would be processed through legal proceedings.
Another sign taped outside, below the printed sign at Signature Fitness Club at 141 Barrington Road in Schaumburg Tuesday.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
“We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this may cause,” the post concludes. “Our team has worked tirelessly to make a lasting impact on the community’s fitness journey and remained committed throughout all challenges.”
But the handwritten note posted on the outside of the door read, “After contacting the Village of Schaumburg, this memo is untrue. The owner of this facility was not making the money they wanted and closed down the Signature Fitness Club franchise in the Chicagoland area.”
The note continues to say the club’s practice before the closings was to promote large upfront payments to generate immediate revenue.
“Please, please contact your bank and be sure to have any documentation you can get to ensure you get your money back,” the letter ends.