PureGym has announced plans to accelerate its worldwide openings in the second half of 2026 while stepping up the rollout of dedicated women's workout spaces across its UK chain.
The Leeds-headquartered company said it remains on track to add around 60 new sites globally in 2026, having opened 17 in the first six months. It also highlighted a “significant runway” for further expansion, with more than 750 new gym locations in its sights over the years ahead.
UK growth leads first-half openings
Of the 17 new gyms opened in the first half, 15 were in the UK. PureGym now operates 728 gyms in total, including 467 in the UK, 128 in Denmark, 49 in Switzerland and 61 in the US, alongside a franchise agreement in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The company also expanded its women's workout spaces, adding these dedicated areas to another 20 gyms in the six months to the end of June, bringing the total to 73 in the UK. PureGym began introducing women's spaces in its gyms in the past couple of years but accelerated the expansion in the first half following “positive reception to these dedicated training spaces designed to boost female members’ comfort and confidence”.
Financial performance and outlook
Underlying earnings rose 23% to £123.6 million for the six months to June 30, as revenues increased 6% to £393 million and membership grew 3% year-on-year to 2.44 million. On a statutory basis, the company remained loss-making but narrowed losses to £20.7 million from £47.9 million a year earlier.
PureGym's recently-appointed chief executive Alex Wood said: “The long-term fundamentals of our sector remain extremely attractive.” He added: “Consumers are placing ever greater importance on their health and wellbeing, while the increasing availability of convenient and affordable gyms is bringing more people into fitness.”
Wood also said: “Looking ahead, we remain on track to open approximately 60 high-quality new gyms across the group in 2026. Beyond 2026, we see substantial whitespace across our existing markets and the Republic of Ireland, and believe there are more than 750 high-quality sites we can open over the coming years.”
