A £1m new gym that runs 24 hours a day is to open in Southampton next month creating 20 jobs.

The 20,000 square foot Bitterne precinct site, the former AMF Bitterne Bowl ten pin bowling alley, will be PureGym’s seventh in the UK and will be fitted out with more than 170 pieces of fitness equipment.

The ambitious North Yorkshire outfit aims to open another 25 gyms in the UK by the end of 2011.

PureGym deliberately does not offer extras like swimming pools or saunas, keeping membership prices down to £12.99 a month for an opening offer or £16.99 a month thereafter.

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Operations director, Brian Scurrah, said: “Finding the right location is key to our success and the site in Bitterne has huge potential.

There is a very good demographic population in Southampton and the residential catchment area and adjacent retail district with its free car parking, make it a perfect choice.

“Our business concept is based on providing modern gyms where people can come and go as they wish and fit their training around their own schedules. We are not about fluffy towels and cafes, and we haven’t driven up prices by providing extras such as swimming pools and saunas, which are often some of the least used facilities. It’s all about getting fit and healthy, at a time to suit you, and without restrictive contracts.

We have a real passion for fitness.”

Ajaye Phillips, general manager of the new Southampton gym, said: “It’s a really exciting time to become involved with PureGym and works are well underway for the opening of the new gym on Bitterne Road. We’ll be offering stateof- the-art equipment in a fantastic environment – it’s never been so affordable to get fit!”

For more information visit PureGym's website.