Gym giant with 'ambassador' Sir Chris Hoy to reopen all 25 Scottish sites next week

Fitness chain PureGym expects 120,000 workouts in Scotland over the course of next week after confirming plans to reopen its 25 clubs on Monday as coronavirus restrictions ease north of the Border.

The firm, which bills itself as the UK’s largest gym operator, said the prediction followed the successful reopening of its gyms across England in mid-April, which saw more than one million workouts at its clubs in the first week.

As well as re-opening its 230 clubs in England, the business opened ten new sites, which it said demonstrated its commitment to UK expansion at a time when many leisure and retail businesses are shrinking their estates.

It said a typical gym had 3,000 to 5,000 members who visit day and night, bringing “much needed” footfall to those local areas.

PureGym bills itself as the UK’s largest gym operator. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

Rebecca Passmore, UK managing director of PureGym said: “After 18 weeks of closure we are absolutely thrilled to be opening up our gyms in Scotland on Monday and expect 120,000 workouts over the course of next week.

“The lockdown has been incredibly tough both for our members and our passionate teams. We have 25 clubs with 105,000 members in Scotland and we know how much they have missed the gym these past few months.

“For millions of people going to the gym is an essential part of their daily health and wellbeing routine and we are committed to ensuring it is a safe and enjoyable experience enabling people to be fitter, healthier and happier.”

Gold medal Olympian Sir Chris Hoy, who is a PureGym “ambassador”, said: “The pandemic has demonstrated the importance of exercise in protecting the nation’s physical and mental well-being and during this health crisis we have sorely missed the crucial role that gyms play in peoples’ daily routines.

“Now more than ever gyms will help our society continue to recover and will be vital in the long-term health of our nation.”

The gyms will reopen under protocols which were developed and instigated last year, following close consultation with the gym industry. Those include physical distancing measures, a “highly sanitised” training environment and controlled access and numbers.

Puregym's CEO issues plea for governments to prioritise gyms re-opening when lockdown is eased

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