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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Chris Hemsworth's Centr app shuts down Melbourne HQ and sacks 15 staff - just months after star sold $100 million company
Chris Hemsworth 's wellness empire is slimming down - but not in the way subscribers hoped. The Thor star's fitness app Centr has officially closed its Melbourne headquarters and axed 15 Australian workers, as the company shifts the bulk of its operations to the United States. The drastic move comes just over a year after Hemsworth, 41, sold the app for a reported $100 million to HighPost Capital, a private equity firm co-founded by Mark Bezos - the brother of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos. A spokesperson for Centr confirmed to 9News this week that the Melbourne office will no longer operate, and only a few Aussie employees will remain on board in remote roles. 'As Centr continues to scale globally, we've made the strategic decision to consolidate operations in the US to improve operational and geographic efficiency,' they said. 'This transition affects 15 roles, with a few team members continuing remotely as part of the US–based team. Centr remains focused on continued growth across its digital platform, performance–grade equipment, and global partnerships.' Nick Robinson, Centr's digital general manager, added that the company plans to 'continue to drive towards business goals' through 'streamlining operations' and hiring top talent in the US. It's the second wave of job cuts to hit the Aussie team in just over a year, after a previous round of layoffs saw around 20 roles slashed. Until recently, the Melbourne office served as Centr's hub for content creation, customer service, and sales and marketing for Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Daily Mail understands all 23 remaining staff in the Melbourne office were summoned to a meeting on Monday and informed it would be their final day with the company. One senior creative, who is currently five months pregnant, took to LinkedIn and claimed she was given no warning before being told her role was being terminated immediately. The brutal timing of the layoffs also raised eyebrows given Hemsworth has been spotted holidaying in Spain and Ibiza with wife Elsa Pataky and their children in recent weeks, soaking up the European summer while his Aussie staff were shown the door. It comes just a month after former Centr CEO Zsofi Paterson departed the company and announced she had taken up a new role with children's photo–sharing startup Tinybeans. Centr was bought out by a private equity firm owned by the brother of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos in March last year - but Hemsworth still features prominently in the app and on its website (pictured) and in most of its workouts and promos Hemsworth launched Centr in 2019, leveraging his global fame and shredded physique to attract subscribers to the platform, which offers high-intensity workouts, meal plans, meditation routines, and wellness tips. The app charges $119 annually or $20 per month and still prominently features Hemsworth in marketing campaigns, despite his reduced involvement in the day-to-day running of the business. When it was acquired by HighPost Capital, owned by David Moross and Mark Bezos, the company moved its headquarters to Los Angeles but kept a team in Melbourne. In April 2022, Hemsworth told his 54 million social media followers that he was 'thrilled' Centr had been acquired by Mark Bezos. The Thor star's massive deal with the younger brother of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos was touted to make Mark 'even richer'. Mark Bezos is the co-leader of New York-based investment group HighPost Capital. At the time of the sale, a Centr representative said Hemsworth would keep an active role in the company and that he was still a major shareholder. The company's website retains Chris Hemsworth's image as founder and carries his endorsement. 'As one of Hollywood's leading men, Chris is known for diverse roles that require serious physical transformations,' the website reads. 'He attributes much of his success to his team of world-class experts in fitness, nutrition and wellness. With Centr, his team is now your team.' Hemsworth, 39, and Pataky, 46, have posted a series of photos and video to Instagram over the last week showing their family partying aboard a boat off Spain. 'A little fun in the sun in Spain,' Hemsworth wrote in the caption alongside photos of the pair dressed in swimwear on Tuesday. The family earlier travelled to Ibiza after celebrating Hemsworth's father Craig's 68th birthday in Greece. The Thor star also partied alongside his parents and friend Matt Damon last week on the Greek island of Mykonos.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
New Grantham £8m council depot 'taking shape' ahead of opening
A new £8.8m council depot is "taking shape" ahead of opening, an authority Kesteven District Council (SKDC) plans to take control of the depot in Turnpike Close, Grantham from contractor Lindum Group on 30 October, with a go-live date scheduled for 1 authority said it would accommodate a range of services including waste, park maintenance and street cleaning, along with more than 250 cabinet member for property and public engagement, Councillor Richard Cleaver, described the new depot as "future-proofed and sustainable". Clearance works have begun at the current depot in Alexandra Road, which was built in the 1970s and is at the end of its operational life, a spokesperson old depot will remain in operation until the handover has taken place and SKDC said it was continuing to assess options for the site's future completed so far includes the steel structures for the main depot building and external roof and external cladding are being added, and joinery work is scheduled in the next few authority said Lindum Group was working on the lorry parking area and work would start on the main car park said it had allocated £500,000 in addition to the build cost for mobilisation to relocate its services and staff from the existing said the new depot would "improve welfare and working conditions for our brilliant staff". Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
My spending was out of control until I made easy change everyone can do – it helped me pay off £9k debt on £9k salary
OPENING her credit card statements Jo Beevers feels sick. She knew she had a problem with impulsive spending but she had never faced up to it, until now. 1 The 46-year-old, who lives near Chester, had always been in debt and was stuck in a constant cycle of doing 0% balance transfers. But going from a full-time job as an medical conditions and injury rehabilitation manager in a gym earning £30,000 to a working as a registrar 16 hours a week earning £9,000, Jo had no option but to stop hiding from it all and gain control. Jo said: 'I had £9,099.82 of credit card and overdraft debt and when I looked at where that money had been going, I felt ashamed. 'My spending was reckless because the money didn't feel real and I treated shopping like a hobby even though I was skint.' In 2018 Jo's "you only live once" outlook on money saw her buy a Volkswagen Up! for £9,000 while her husband, who works in IT, was away. And after a boozy lunch popped into Boots and spent £300 on perfumes she didn't need. Amazon parcels turned up every day and she even had a monthly delivery of two bottles of champagne from its Subscribe and Save service. Jo said: "It was ridiculous. If I had to hand over £80 in cash for two bottles of champagne every month I wouldn't have done it. 'But because it all went on the credit card, I didn't think about it. I knew I was bad but I could always justify my spending." Done with feeling guilty, stressed and worried about her mounting debt Jo stuffed her credit cards in a drawer and was ruthless in cancelling everything that was non-essential. Then, she made one major change, at the beginning of every month she physically took out the remaining money after bills and groceries. Jo created a tracker and, in the beginning, divided the cash into different envelopes but it wasn't as easy as she thought and became overwhelmed. Jo said: 'I made loads of mistakes in the first three months by thinking the money could go further than it did. 'I created too many envelopes and the money couldn't stretch as far as I wanted it to.' Giving up temporarily, Jo worked through the overwhelm of emotions and prioritised where her money should be going and got herself back on track. She said: "Holding the money changed how I thought about it, it made it feel real. 'I had sections for debt, achievable savings goals and for non-essential spending. "Once I'd figured it out it was easy. It's so visual, it works for my mind.' Determined to pay off her debt and to keep on track, Jo created fun trackers to gamify her savings and to keep her motivated. She shared her journey on social media as @Cashbudgetbee and her trackers caught the eye of her followers. Stumbling on another way of topping up her part-time income, Jo began selling them on Etsy which has made £2,000 in the last 12 months. Jo said: 'I never thought it possible to find a way of making some extra money from my own debt clearing journey. 'But it made me feel normal to know that there were other people out there just like me.' Staying motivated was hard that's why she made the videos to share with her followers. When Jo hit a milestone, she popped into M&S and bought some champagne to treat herself, but a £22 one instead of a £40 bottle. But it can be a slippery slope, and the entrepreneurial mum, had to reign herself in. She said: 'It starts with one thing and then you're going back into old habits. And you go, 'Oh no I'm not debt free yet.'' Eighteen months on and Jo made her final payment on her credit card and if that wasn't enough, she also went into Christmas 2024 with money saved. She said: 'Being debt free is amazing, I'm the happiest I've ever been. Having money to spend at Christmas, rather than relying on credit cards was a great feeling.' But while she's riding high on clearing her debts, Jo doesn't feel like she can relax her new routine. She said: 'It really does worry me that I'll slip back as I've got 30 years-worth of spending habits to break. 'I've noticed some of my old shopping habits are sneaking back in. On Valentine's Day I didn't put anything in the budget as we hadn't planned anything. 'Then the day before I was online and putting all sorts in my basket, thankfully I was able to recognise what I was doing and stopped. All I can do is to keep trying.' Jo is giving herself new challenges to keep the momentum going and recently created an e-book sharing her own journey which she's already made £180 from. Jo's seven top tips to taking control of your money Only use cash for paying for items you will know exactly what your non-essential budget is and will make you consider what you're buying Stop using your debit and credit cards, it's so easy to tap and swipe. Before tackling debt or savings, create yourself an emergency fund. Nothing is going to knock you off track more than the car breaking down or your kids having a sudden growth spurt. Plan for the year ahead, birthdays, special occasions, half terms, holidays and so on. Create a savings pot, envelope or section with achievable goal amounts. If you're still doing online shopping, put the items into your basket instead of hitting buy now. When it comes to payday, revisit and consider how you feel about the purchase. I've found this a useful way to deal with my impulse spending. Avoid going to shops as a way to spend some time, it's not going to help you stay on track and will most likely make you feel negative. Remember it's not forever, it can be disheartening seeing other people buying what they want but remember once your debt is paid-off you'll be free.
