PureGym celebrates 15 years of high-quality, low-cost fitness with the opening of its 400th UK gym

PureGym, the UK’s largest gym operator, announces the opening of its 400th gym in the UK, demonstrating its commitment to invest in improving the health of the nation by providing millions of people with access to high-quality, affordable and flexible fitness.

PureGym opened its first gym in Leeds in 2009, pioneering the value gym sector by providing 24/7 access to high-quality gyms with low-cost, no-contract gym memberships. In the 15 years since, PureGym has grown to become the market leader and has undergone ambitious expansion, welcoming over 9.5 million members, from first-timers to fitness fanatics, through its doors.

PureGym’s 400th UK gym, located in Plymouth Derriford, will open at 12pm today, 13th December 2024. This will be PureGym’s third gym in Plymouth and will provide members with 24/7 access to hundreds of pieces of high-quality equipment and over 50 classes per week, all included through low-cost, no-contract memberships. Located at the Derriford District Centre, near to Aldi, M&S and Costa, the new gym is in a fantastic location for new members, will help to drive footfall to the retail park and creates nine new jobs in the health and fitness sector. PureGym Plymouth Derriford is set to be opened by local hero and Torquay United player, Scott Corderoy, and Fred Thomas, MP for Plymouth Moor View.

The opening of the 400th UK gym concludes a year of significant growth for PureGym. The business will open 44 UK gyms in 2024 alone – equating to one new PureGym on average every eight days. PureGym’s expansion is not only leading the leisure sector, but retail and hospitality too. According to Savills’ UK Retail Warehousing report published in June 2024, PureGym opened the most sites in out-of-town locations across the UK in 2023 (excluding F&B), ahead of Aldi, Home Bargains and Lidl. This growth continued in 2024, as PureGym was the most expansive business in out-of-town locations across all sectors in Q1 2024, opening more sites than Greggs, Starbucks and Costa.

As demand for value fitness continues to grow, so does PureGym’s ambition for further expansion. Earlier this year the business acquired 15 high-quality sites sourced via the Carpetright administration process, which are all set to open as brand new PureGyms before the end of 2025. The business will continue identifying communities that are yet to benefit from high-quality, low-cost gyms and plans to open as many as 200 more sites across the UK over the medium term.

Rebecca Passmore, Group Chief Operating Officer at PureGymsaid: “Since opening our first gym in Leeds in 2009 demand for high-quality, low-cost fitness has grown exponentially, with a gym membership moving from a ‘nice to have’ to a ‘must have’ for millions of people. We’ve embarked on ambitious expansion to meet this demand, investing in cities, towns and retail parks across the UK to provide greater access to affordable and flexible fitness facilities.

“Reaching the milestone of opening our 400th UK gym is an incredible achievement and we can’t wait to see members through the doors of our newest gym in Plymouth Derriford. But what we’re even more proud of is the impact that each of our gyms has on the health of our members in 400 communities across the UK. Over the last 10 years we have facilitated more than 582 million gym visits – supporting the health and wellbeing of our members across the UK. And we’re just getting started, with plans to open as many as 200 more gyms across the UK in the years to come.

“Our continued growth is testament to every member of the PureGym team past and present, all of whom have helped to make this milestone possible, and to each and every person who has joined as a member over the years.”

Photos by James McCauley.