Lucrezia Ciotti Virgin Active Italy is at the center of a delicate issue: the Competition and Market Authority has in fact concluded the investigation started in December 2024, heavily sanctioning the company. The details of the decision of theAntitrust, the reasons behind the sanction and the consequences.
Virgin Active: history and presence in the territory
Virgin Active is a international chain of fitness and wellness centers, founded in 1997 in the United Kingdom by Richard Branson as part of the Virgin Group.
Il first italian club it opened in 2004 in Genoa, marking the brand's entry into the market Italian. Today, Virgin Active Italy has 40 clubs distributed throughout the country, with a significant presence in Milan (14 clubs) and Rome (8 clubs). The cities of Turin, Florence, Naples, Bologna, Brescia, Catania, Genoa, Palermo, Verona, Perugia, Prato, Reggio Emilia and Salerno each host at least one club.
In addition to its network of physical centers, Virgin Active Italy also offers a digital service, Virgin Active Revolution, which allows users to access over 2.500 online training classes, with new live sessions weekly. The company employs approximately 3.000 people, including over 1.000 associates, 1.200 group trainers and 700 personal trainers, and serves more than 200.000 active members.
Bad news for Virgin Active Italy: the heavy fine from the Antitrust
Il process, launched following the numerous reports received by the Authority from consumers, has confirmed, as reported by the Authority itself in a note, the presence of unfair practices by Virgin Active Italy. In 2024, the company has exceeded 100.000 subscriptions, but would have provided users incomplete and misleading information regarding the membership conditions, automatic renewal, cancellation methods and early withdrawal. In this regard, the imposed penalty is 3 million euros.
In particular, the investigations revealed that Virgin Active Italia did not communicate in advance the automatic renewal of subscriptions, nor did it clearly specify the deadline by which consumers could send formal cancellation. Furthermore, it did not provide sufficient details on the tariff increases applied during the year. Finally, it hindered the exercise of the right to terminate the contract in the event of supervening impossibility. These closely interconnected conducts constitute a complex and unitary unfair commercial practice, implemented by Virgin Active Italia in violation of Articles 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, letter f) and 65-bis of the Consumer Code.
In practice, users have not received all the information necessary to correctly evaluate their membership to the services offered, nor have they been able to freely exercise their cancellation or right of withdrawal. As a result, many have found tied to unwanted contracts, suffering unjustified financial charges. This lack of transparency has compromised the right of consumers to an informed choice, causing both economic damage and a loss of trust in the company.