Mount Gambier health food restaurant Gym Challenge Meals announces closure
A popular health food outlet will close its doors for good this month, saying hospitality is facing “unsustainable trading conditions”.
Mount Gambier
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A health food staple of the Limestone Coast has announced it will close its doors at the end of the month.
On Monday afternoon, owner and founder of Gym Challenge Meals, Alex Marlow, announced with “deep regret” the Mount Gambier business would shut, with its last day of operation slated for June 28.
The business, which specialises in meals for the health conscious who don’t have the time or resources to cook for themselves, was put up for sale in late March, with Mr Marlow saying it was time for him to step aside and prioritise spending time with his young family.
With a buyer unable to be secured, the business has been left with no choice but to close due to “unsustainable trading conditions”.
“Various challenges this year, including recent road closures affecting our business for the past six weeks, have severely impacted our financial stability,” Mr Marlow said.
“Our closure underscores the need for substantial government support at both federal and state level to sustain the hospitality the industry.”
Mr Marlow first launched Gym Challenge Meals in 2017 after he joined Mount Gambier’s local F45 Training and embarked the chain’s eigth-week challenge.
Inspired by the challenge’s menu and armed with years of hospitality and kitchen experience, he decided to try his hand at creating his own nutritious meals.
He asked the owner of the F45 studio if he could make batches of the challenge recipes and offer them to fellow members and found instant success – uncovering a gap in the Mount Gambier region for healthy packaged meals.
In January 2020, supported by his family, Mr Marlow took the leap and opened the Gym Challenge Meal’s store, featuring a large kitchen, shop front, space for display fridges and barista-made coffee.
Over the next few years the business grew even more, rebranding to GCM in 2022, and partnering with retailers across South Australia and western Victoria to stock the meals last year.
Demand for home deliveries grew exponentially, with the business embarking on weekly home deliveries throughout Warrnambool, Portland, Hamilton, Port Fairy, Casterton, Naracoorte, Tarpeena, Nangwarry and Penola.
“While it is disheartening to see the business that we have all poured our hearts and souls into not thrive as envisioned, I am proud of our brand, the food we have crafted and the product enjoyed by (all our customers),” Mr Marlow said.
“We express our heartfelt gratitude to our staff for their unwavering support and friendship, especially during these recent challenging months”.
Mr Marlow said he hoped to sell the business assets over the coming weeks and still holds out hope that a last minute buyer would come forward.
“This is a world-class kitchen fit out, perfect for catering companies or someone looking to begin their own coffee/food business concept.”
The business is being listed by Tahlia Gabrielli at Ray White Mount Gambier.
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