Xercise4Less is to launch a new £1.5m gym in the already-crowded Milton Keynes market as it seeks to steal a march on its low-cost rivals.

The company has announced plans for a 44,000sq ft (4,088sq m) club to open in August, directly opposite the site of its rival Pure Gym. Elsewhere, Milton Keynes already hosts a low-cost Kiss Gym and a Gym Group club, while Fit4Less (whose parent énergie Group is headquartered in Milton Keynes) recently closed its site in the town.

Xercise4Less says it will bring out “the big guns” for Milton Keynes in what it has dubbed the “Battle of the budget gyms.” As such, the Leeds-based chain is offering pre-sale membership for £9.99 to the first 100 people to sign up. It is not yet clear how the standard membership fee will stack-up against other operators in the town.

The club itself will see Matrix supply equipment for more than 600-stations, while members will have access to more than 100 free classes (Les Mills, Zumba and Bokwa) each week, held across three dedicated aerobics studios.

“It’s an extremely exciting time for Xercise4Less and we can’t wait to open the doors to this amazingly advanced Milton Keynes fitness centre,” said Xercise4Less CEO Jon Wright.

“Our aim is to be the number one budget gym in the UK and at the rate that we are enhancing at group capacity, I don’t see what’s stopping us.”