Open gyms by next month or I'll close my Scottish clubs, says Duncan Bannatyne

Gym boss and former Dragon’s Den star Duncan Bannatyne has warned he could be forced to close his health clubs in Scotland, putting 600 jobs at risk, if they are not allowed to reopen by the end of August.

Duncan Bannatyne has urged gym reopening

Mr Bannatyne’s health club and spa firm Bannatyne Group has 11 clubs in Scotland and he told BBC Scotland’s The Nine show they are currently being subsidised by his outlets south of the border.

Indoor gyms were able to open in England last week as part of coronavirus lockdown restrictions easing.

There is currently no date for their reopening in Scotland and Scottish Government guidance advises it will not happen before July 31.

Mr Bannatyne questioned why pubs have been allowed to reopen in Scotland while gyms remain shut.

“There’s 11 clubs in Scotland and 600 employees – we’d have to lay them all off, if we can’t open, say by the end of August. There’s no point in us continuing to try and support them,” he told The Nine.

“We were very happy to close down when we were told in March… but now is the time to reopen again and I think we should be allowed to reopen very soon, if not today.”

He added: “It would be more damaging to open and close down again but I can’t see any reason not to open and stay open, when you compare us for example to pubs, where people are talking to each other and getting drunk, people come to health clubs for very different reasons… the danger is very small compared to pubs and even supermarkets.”

He said Nicola Sturgeon has “done a fantastic job of looking after the people of Scotland” but said he feels the “time has come to make a decision”.

Lockdown measures in Scotland are set to be reviewed on Thursday but the First Minister has warned not to expect many more changes to be announced as her focus is on enabling shielding people to have more freedom and schools to return safely next month.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “As the First Minister has said, we want to lift restrictions as soon as possible so that these businesses can get back to trading, and we fully understand how difficult any further delay might be.

“It is important these decisions are made carefully to protect people’s health and our progress against the pandemic.

“We will continue to review the data for new cases and hospital admissions, and the First Minister will provide an update to Parliament on the remaining Phase 3 changes on Thursday.”