Capital & Regional opens new PureGym at the Marlowes as centre undergoes strategic repositioning

Pure Gym was able to surpass its opening target, reaching 1,200 members before opening and 1,500 members in the first week. Pure Gym is expected to attract around 5,000 members from the local town, taking advantage of its 24-hour fitness facilities at a time convenient to them.

The popular gym chain has opened in a 15,000 sq ft unit adjacent to The Marlowes South Court entrance, with direct access to the gym from within the shopping centre. 

The signing of PureGym marks a major milestone in Capital & Regional’s long-term strategy to reposition the offering at The Marlowes as a retail and leisure destination, anchored by the needs-based retail tenants that continue to drive steady footfall and revenue across Capital & Regional’s portfolio.

As well as a new mix of leisure options, Capital & Regional’s vision for the centre revolves around providing a seamless shopping experience for local families, built open the opening of The Marlowes Family Zone in May 2019.  As part of its campaign to provide a best-in-class experience for family guests, Capital & Regional signed an industry leading partnership with OFSTED-approved creche operator Tinies in October of the same year and has invested in significant improvements to family facilities.

Capital & Regional’s repositioning of The Marlowes with the introduction of leading leisure options and service providers underpins its strategy of repositioning retail assets to serve as community hubs which meet the numerous needs of local guests. 

Robert Hadfied, Commercial Director, Capital & Regional said: “PureGym is an excellent addition to The Marlowes, and a key part of the transformation of the centre’s South Court. We’ve seen incredibly positive reactions to Pure Gym from our local guests so far. We worked closely with the retailer to make sure the space was right for our guests in terms of membership structures and accessibility – and it’s great to see this reflected in the rate of membership growth within the first two of weeks of opening. We’re on an exciting journey at The Marlowes, which started with the launch of the portfolio’s second Family Zone, followed by the introduction of Tinies. With the opening of Pure Gym, not only have we reached another exciting milestone, but we have answered the longstanding need for a leading gym operator in the local area.”

Duncan Costin, Property Director, Pure Gym said “We’re delighted to finally have secured space in Hemel Hempstead to bring our low- cost high value gym offer to the local population. I don’t think there is a better location in the town in which we could have placed ourselves, given the huge amount of investment planned for the Marlowes.”