Pure Gym opens new site in Riyadh – ramps up Middle East roll-out
by Tom Walker | 17 Aug 2022
Pure Gym has ambitions to open 40 gyms in Saudi Arabia / Pure Gym/Wild
Credit: Pure Gym
– Humphrey Cobbold
Pure Gym has opened its latest location in the Middle East as part of a major rollout.
Located in the Al Munsiyah district of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, the site includes two separate gyms – Pure Gym Munsiyah Man and Pure Gym Munsiyah Woman – bringing the total number of Pure Gyms in Riyadh to six.
Gyms are already operating in Al Aziziyah (Pure Gym Woman), Al Hamra (Pure Gym Woman and Man) and As Sahafah (Pure Gym Woman) districts.
In addition, the low-cost chain plans to open three more gyms in Saudi’s eastern province (Al Khobar) this year – Golden Belt Man, Al Rakah Woman and Al Faisaliyah Man.
Each site is open 24 hours and offers a 250-station gym floor, group exercise classes and qualified personal trainers.
Pure Gym first revealed its expansion into Saudi Arabia at the end of 2020.
At the time, it announced that it looks to open up to 40 clubs across key cities by the end of 2025.
Gym membership in Saudi Arabia generally requires a three-, six- or 12-month commitment – which PureGym has changed with the option to pay membership fees monthly and the ability to stop at any time.
PureGym has secured a franchise partnership with Ektimal – a company specialising in fitness investments in the country.
Speaking to HCM, Humphrey Cobbold, CEO of PureGym Group, said: “Gyms have a crucial role to play in increasing activity levels, in particular low-cost operators whose affordable, flexible proposition has made gym membership a reality for millions of people in Europe.
"We are delighted to be operating in Saudi Arabia which, through the Saudi Vision 2030 strategy, has ambitious health and wellbeing goals. Since opening, demand for our gyms has been excellent and we look forward to working with Ektimal on further expansion in Saudi Arabia and beyond.”
Earlier this year, Pure Gym revealed it plans to double the number of clubs in its portfolio, with a target of reaching more than 1,000 clubs by 2030
The group said it plans to open 500 new sites in the UK and Switzerland, as part of a strategy to "take full control of the attractive markets".
Pure Gym currently has 312 UK clubs but plans to reach between 700 and 900 sites between 2026 and 2028, meaning an opening rate of 66 clubs a year.
To calibrate this ambition, it's worth noting that in total, Pure Gym opened 28 new clubs during 2021 – 24 in the UK, three in Saudi Arabia and one in Switzerland – and a further three test sites in the US during 2022.
Video credit: Pure Gym/Wild
PureGym Woman (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) - 2021 from WILD on Vimeo.
Pure Gym Saudi Arabia Humphrey Cobbold11 Aug 2022
Pure Gym founder, Peter Roberts, invests in personal training app Another Round
21 Apr 2022
Pure Gym plans to double in size by 2030
Pure Gym has opened its latest location in the Middle East as part of a major rollout. Located in the Al Munsiyah district of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, the site includes two separate gyms – Pure Gym Munsiyah Man and Pure Gym Munsiyah Woman – bringing the total number of Pure Gyms in Riyadh to six. Gyms are already operating in Al Aziziyah (Pure Gym Woman), Al Hamra (Pure Gym
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