As health clubs and fitness studios in England are counting the hours down to reopening day on Monday 12 April, PureGym has announced it will open 10 brand new health clubs alongside its existing 230 sites.

The 10 new clubs will be launched at various stages during "reopening week" and are linked to long-term lease commitments made by PureGym before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The expansion comes at a time when some leisure and retail businesses are shrinking their estates, especially on the high street.

According to PureGym MD Rebecca Passmore, the company is bucking this trend and has ambitions to further increase its estate across the UK.

She added that the company will have "an important role to play in sustaining vibrant high streets" as they adapt to new uses.

“We are re-opening with 10 brand new gyms, our biggest ever weekly expansion, at locations across the country," Passmore said.

"We know there is a huge appetite to return to the gym both amongst our existing members and the broader population as people want to resume active lifestyles to manage their physical and mental wellbeing.

"Gyms are great additions to the high street and retail parks and we look forward to welcoming new members and opening more sites as the year progresses.”

On 12 April, PureGym sites will re-open under its TrainSafe protocols, which the group developed last year, having consulted closely with the physical activity industry, the government and the health authorities.

The protocols include social distancing, a sanitised training environment, controlled access and limited numbers to ensure social distancing.