Gym Group to bulk up by eating shops

The Gym Group is planning to bulk up to twice its current size, seeing opportunities in empty shops. The group said it had plans to open 40 clubs before the end of next year, adding that the post-Covid property market would be the “most favourable” in its history. Boss Richard Darwin said that many sites previously run by retailers had become available because of CVAs and a wider shift online, and that the group had built up a pipeline of 80 sites. Although the group is currently focused on the UK, he said that there was potential for the business to grow in Europe, America and elsewhere. “But with 190 gyms, we think we can double our estate from where we are today,” he said. The Times (£) The Guardian Image from Gym Group