Pure Gym founders to launch membership salon concept

The founders of budget-friendly UK gym chain Pure Gym are to launch a group of salons called Spruce Moose with a membership model.

Members will pay a monthly fee and will receive discounts on treatments of up to 40%. While Spruce Moose is a separate venture to Pure Gym, it will work on the same type of membership and discount model that has proved successful for Pure Gym.

The first site is set for Harrogate and is due to launch in mid to late November, with expansion planned for other northern cities.

Pure Gym executive chairman Peter Roberts is also a director of Spruce Moose and developed the concept with fellow directors Angela Crawshaw and Brian Scurrah.

Speaking to Insider Media, agency surveyor Tom Hodgson, who worked with the company to secure the Harrogate site, said: "We looked at a few different locations in the major northern cities but settled on Harrogate as the ideal town to showcase the first Spruce Moose.

"The next towns and cities to be ticked off are likely to be Leeds, Manchester and York in the short term, with a full UK roll-out being the ultimate strategy."

Last month Pure Gym withdrew plans for an initial public offering after recently announcing its intention to float and offer shares on the open market.

CEO Humphrey Cobbold said: “Given the challenging IPO market conditions, the board has decided not to proceed with a listing despite the strong interest shown by potential investors.”