Mike Ashley has added to his budding Sports Direct Fitness empire with the acquisition of the former 37º health club in West London.

Recently rebranded as The Printworks Health Club & Spa, the prime location at London Olympia has been sold by joint owners Albion Ventures and London Health & Fitness for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition is a boon for Sports Direct Fitness, which is backed by a ‘£250m war chest’ to help the chain gain a stronger foothold in the south east of England as it aims to reach an ultimate goal of 200 gyms nationwide.

The health club, which was once a graphics workshop, features a spacious gym, rooftop yoga space, several studios, a 20m pool, sauna and a beauty spa. With backing from Albion Ventures, the club was launched in 2008 by London Health & Fitness directors Andy Kay and Mhairi FitzPatrick, who say they are moving out of the operator market to focus on new ventures.

“Following on from last year’s sale of 37° Tower Bridge, the sale of The Printworks Health Club & Spa, formerly branded 37°, marks an exit from the high end gym market for Mhairi and I," said Kay.

“We are now focused on several new business interests, including the fast growing consumer insight business Proinsight Research which works with over 500 UK leisure centres.”

Sports Direct Fitness now has around 30 sites across the country, with head of leisure Winston Higham recently telling Health Club Management that plans are in place for an ‘aggressive’ expansion in the year ahead.