# Pure Gym Pure Gym is a Health clubs / Gym operator based in Leeds, United Kingdom. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Health clubs / Gym operator - **Headquarters:** Leeds, United Kingdom - **Region:** Europe - **Address:** Leeds, United Kingdom - **Founded:** 2009 - **Assets under management:** Undisclosed - **Website:** puregym.com - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/puregym ## Regulatory record - **Reports private funds:** No ## About Pure Gym launched in 2009, the brainchild of Peter Roberts, who had previously built and sold the budget hotel chain Sleep Inn. The firm emerged in the wake of the financial crisis, capitalizing on a wave of empty big-box retail units across the UK to sign cheap, flexible leases. This real-estate arbitrage, combined with a no-contract, £15-per-month membership model, allowed the company to scale from a single site in Leeds to over 500 gyms. The business is controlled by private equity backers, most recently taken private by KKR in a deal that valued the company at around £3 billion (per the firm and KKR, 2024). The investment strategy is almost entirely focused on company-operated, wholly-owned physical locations. It targets dense urban and suburban areas for sites between 10,000 and 20,000 square feet, converting former retail spaces. The model is capital-intensive for fit-out but generates high free cash flow per mature site. Growth has been organic and through acquisitions, including the purchase of LA Fitness and Soho Gyms. Pure Gym also operates a digitally native brand, PureGym, in the US and holds a significant position in the Middle East through a joint venture in Saudi Arabia. Confirmed holdings beyond the UK include a growing portfolio of franchised and owned gyms in Switzerland and Denmark, and a major stake in Fitness World in Denmark. KKR acquired a controlling stake from Leonard Green & Partners in a deal announced in October 2024, which valued Pure Gym at £3 billion including debt (per Reuters, October 2024). Leonard Green had previously taken the firm private in 2017. The company now operates more than 500 gyms globally, with a membership base that has recovered sharply post-pandemic to over two million. In March 2024, the company completed the rollout of its proprietary gym-access and member-management app across its entire estate, fully digitizing the entry, class booking, and payment stack (per the firm, March 2024). Pure Gym's structural differentiator is its identity as an operating company held within a private equity portfolio, rather than a traditional property or retail play. The firm's value is in its proprietary technology stack for member management and its data model for site selection. This creates a repeatable, metrics-driven rollout engine for the owned-and-operated physical sites — a capital-deployment machine that can enter new geographies or acquire and rebrand distressed legacy operators with a playbook for margin improvement. ## Sectors - Consumer & Retail - Real Estate - Healthcare Services ## People - Peter Roberts — Founder ## Questions ### Who controls Pure Gym after the 2024 acquisition? Private equity firm KKR acquired a controlling stake in Pure Gym from Leonard Green & Partners in a deal announced in October 2024. The transaction valued the company at approximately £3 billion, including its outstanding debt. Founder Peter Roberts and management retained a minority interest. ### Does Pure Gym operate any brands other than its core low-cost gyms? Pure Gym operates several distinct brands across different markets. In the UK, the firm previously acquired and absorbed smaller chains like LA Fitness and Soho Gyms. In the US, it operates a separate digitally native brand. It also holds a controlling interest in Fitness World, a large operator in Denmark, and runs a joint venture in Saudi Arabia. ### What is Pure Gym's exposure to non-UK markets? The firm has systematically expanded beyond its UK core. It operates a direct brand in the US, majority-owned Fitness World in Denmark, company-owned and franchised gyms in Switzerland, and a joint-venture operation in Saudi Arabia. These international vehicles are largely structured as wholly-owned subsidiaries or controlled affiliates rather than passive minority stakes. ### How did the pandemic affect Pure Gym's operating model? The COVID-19 lockdowns forced the company to temporarily close its entire UK estate, severely impacting revenue. However, the membership base recovered to over two million post-pandemic. The period accelerated a technology overhaul: in March 2024, the company completed a full rollout of its proprietary app, which digitizes access, class booking, and payments across its entire network (per the firm, March 2024). ### What is Peter Roberts' background before founding Pure Gym? Peter Roberts previously founded and scaled the budget hotel chain Sleep Inn, gaining experience in the low-cost, high-volume operating model. He identified a similar structural opportunity in the fitness market after the 2008 financial crisis, using cheap available real estate to launch the first Pure Gym in Leeds in 2009. ## Related profiles - [Viant Medical](https://altss.com/profile/viant-medical) --- Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/pure-gym-limited Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology