Sports Direct announces plans to open new cheap gyms.
Sports Direct has detailed plans to open its first purpose-built fitness club at a 20,000 square foot site in Aintree on Merseyside next month, and will be charing just £5 a month for membership.
This is a remarkably cheap offer, though the slight catch is in the initial £10 joining fee. Still, a £15 first month going down to a £5 monthly charge seems reasonable, although Sports Direct has not yet said how long a contract a customer would have to sign to qualify for the offer.
Sports Direct says the Aintree gym will be followed by another at Keighley in West Yorkshire, and it ultimately plans to have 200 gyms in the UK. It recently acquired 30 from rival LA Fitness. The £5 deal will be first trialled at the new purpose-built sites, with the potential for the ex-LA sites to offer the same in the future.
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How does it compare?
It’s difficult to directly compare clubs, as chains charge different fees depending on a specific gym’s location. To give one example, Fitness First, which is the biggest fitness chain in Europe, charges between £38 and £85 as a base fee per month, the most expensive fees being found in central London.
But wherever you're based, there are ways to save cash on gym memberships.
[SPOTLIGHT]Some places offer free sample sessions, but don’t be pressured into joining by quick-talking salespeople during or after you’ve attended. A lot of them work on commission, so it’s in their best interest to sell you a pass at any cost. Make sure everything you've been promised face-to-face is actually in your contract before you sign, as it's extremely difficult to prove that any verbal agreement was reached later on if there are discrepancies between what you were told and what you received.
You can opt for an ‘off-peak’ gym pass with some clubs, meaning that while the hours you can go to the club are limited, you pay less.
If you’re unsure if you’re going to be able to attend the gym regularly, pay-as-you-go deals are widely available. This does work out as more expensive than a membership though.
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A word of warning
It’s very easy to sign up to a gym and not go. If you’re locked into a 12-month contract and find that it’s not for you, or you don’t have the time to commit, it’s just pouring money down the drain. Even with Sports Direct’s new deal, that would be £70 wasted.
Look out for additional fees when you first join; for instance, Fitness First insists that a one-off charge is applied for its ‘Body First’ induction, which includes a consultation and orientation at your chosen club. The cost of this depends on which club you’re joining, and they top it up with a ‘pro rata’ fee. This can add up to around £50 or more!
And if you really don’t like the gym, there are other ways to keep fit. If all else fails, buy some trainers and go for a run. This way, you’re also out in the fresh air, not cramped up with other sweaty people on treadmill banks!
If you're a regular gym user and know of any other great deals or ways to cut the cost of exercise, please share them in the Comments below.
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