A second gym has opened its doors to the public in Burton's Middleway Park. Called The Gym, it opened to fanfare today, Monday, October 9, as Burton Albion mascot Billy Brewer handed out goody bags to the first 50 people who walked through the doors.
The unit originally belonged to the bed store Dreams and then NCF furniture store before the latter moved out earlier this year. The unit stood empty for eight months before The Gym moved in.
The Gym is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with high-spec equipment and exercise classes. The Burton Mail previously reported that The Gym would be one of two gyms in Middleway Park. The other is DW Sports Fitness.
There is at least 170 items of fitness equipment and free weights to use with environmentally 'green' exercise machines that are not powered by electricity, but instead powered as people use them. The venue will also offer a variety of fitness classes throughout the day.
Membership is £12.99 for the first 1,000 members. The gym is a member-only suite but it does offer daily passes which allows fitness fans to use the facilities for a day at £5.99 per day.
Luke Harvey, general manager at The Gym Burton, said: "We are really excited to be opening our new facility in Burton. We are offering 24-hour facilities so you can come down and train whenever you like, and free classes to members."
Before The Gym Group, which runs the venue, became the favoured business to move into the unit, details in a marketing report revealed by the Burton Mail showed that a trampoline park had declared an interest in moving into the store – but dropped its plans at the last minute as the unit was deemed too small for its needs.
Jump Arena said it would be willing to come to Burton but only to a unit with a minimum of 15,000 sq ft. The total existing retail floor space for NCF is just under at 14,498sq ft.
Mexican restaurant Chiquitos had also expressed an interest but wanted to see how well Nando's and Bella Italia traded on the same site before it committed to a move. It has an outlet on Pride Park in Derby.
The Burton Mail also revealed that Countrywide Farmers had agreed a deal for the store but pulled out after deciding against Burton as its next base.
The marketing summary also disclosed that interest had been received from furniture store JYSK, bed retailer Bensons and Majestic Wine, and department store Hootys, which withdrew at the point of exchange and subsequently went into administration.
