Parent company of David Barton Gym files for bankruptcy

The parent company of David Barton Gym, which has branches all over the country including Bellevue, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection March 2.

Bankruptcy documents indicated that Club Ventures Investments LLC, the parent company, possesses assets between $10 million and $50 million and its liabilities at between $50 million and $100 million, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal.

A spokeswoman for the company said the bankruptcy filing won’t lead to the closure of any of the gyms.

“There was no change then at any of the six health clubs, including Bellevue, and we anticipate all regular operations as normal going forward,” said Rivian Bell.

The 37,000-square-foot health club in Bellevue opened September 2009, and was the first west-coast expansion for the up-scale health club.

David Barton is one of the key tenants in the Bravern complex that is also occupied by Microsoft and luxury fashion retailer Neiman Marcus.

According to the Business Journal, the health club’s financial issues began with an aggressive expansion in 2005. Three years later, the company was forced to make big changes because of low revenue. The following year, when the Bellevue branched opened, Club Ventures lost nearly $20 million and failed to make payment on debt.

Bell said the filing will lead to a restructuring that will place the company on superior financial footing.

“The company has sufficient funds as well as access to new financing, and the restructuring process is anticipated to be a rapid one — over in four months or less.”