A CANTERBURY city centre fitness and lifestyle gymnasium is in a seriously unhealthy financial condition.

The HiLife Holdings plc empire, which runs the gym in Lower Bridge Street and seven others in the midlands and south-east, including a centre at Charing, has been put up for sale after suffering severe cash flow problems.

No redundancies have been made at the £330 a year private members' club and administrators have been appointed to sell the four year-old business as a "going concern".

Daniel Smith, whose firm RSM Robson Rhodes was appointed administrator on October 10, said HiLife Holdings had suffered difficulties since launching eight gyms in the south and midlands since 1998.

He said: "They have been unable to achieve sufficient profitable expansion of the clubs to cover central costs. We will do everything we can to help save the business and will be talking to all interested parties. In the meantime, the clubs will continue to trade as normal to its 6,000 members."

HiLIfe Holdings, the brainchild of Jan Spaticchia, attempted to attract members who had never been near a gym when it was launched fours years ago. Programmes were tailored to suit different age and lifestyle groups.

Meanwhile, the gym in Lower Bridge Street was operating as normal this week, with no redundancies likely in the big shake-up. Staff were continuing to sell five-day membership packages from £330.