PureGym seeks planning on two Dublin sites as it eyes entry to Irish market

PureGym is considering two locations in Dublin city centre as the springboard for the British group’s expected entry into the Irish market in the new year.

The private-equity-backed gym chain made its first attempt to enter the Irish market more than 10 years ago, although it ultimately never broke ground on approved plans for two north Dublin sites.

The gym operator has now lodged planning applications with Dublin City Council to establish two outlets, both of which would operate as 24-hour facilities for the chain of “no-frills” fitness centres.

One gym would occupy a part-ground floor and basement unit in the Parnell Centre shopping complex in Dublin 1, about 500m from O’Connell Street, a recently filed planning application shows.

Mainly occupying the basement, the plans comprise a main gym floor, changing rooms, an additional exercise and training area, and a free weights zone, according to a letter from the council’s planning and development department assessing the application.

Planners have sought additional information from the company before deciding on the application.

The other proposed outlet is located in the College Square commercial development, fronting on to Tara Street in Dublin 2. At 82m high, College Square is the tallest habitable building in the State. The council is yet to hand down a decision.

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A spokesperson from PureGym said the company plans are “still in the early stages, and both sites are subject to planning approval. However, we have ambitions to open both gyms in the first half of 2027.

“These gyms will expand access to low-cost, high-quality fitness in Dublin, while also creating a number of employment opportunities,” the spokesperson continued. “We know there is strong demand for gym memberships that are both affordable and flexible.”

Planning records dating back to 2016 show PureGym sought planning permission to establish an “24-hour, 7-day a week gymnasium” with “new illuminated signage” in Smithfield Market in Dublin 7.

Following objections from local residents and businesses, that case was referred to An Bord Pleanála (now An Coimisiún Pleanála), the State’s planning authority.

It ultimately granted the company permission for the development, but not the signage.

At the time, the company said the State was “likely to be well-suited to the PureGym customer proposition and operating model” of low-cost membership fees and stripped-back facilities.

It is understood PureGym reconsidered an entry into the Irish market after Britain voted to leave the European Union later in 2016.

Founded in 2008, PureGym now operates 728 gyms worldwide, according to its website, about two-thirds of which are located in Britain. It also operates in Denmark, the United States and Switzerland, and has franchised outlets in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

It closed a deal in early October to acquire a Swiss gym chain for £233 million (€279 million).