Plans for £3m. gym and sports store in Burnley centre

DW Fitness, which is owned by Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan, will open a new gym and shop in the former Woolworths and Kwik Save building at the corner of St James’s Street and Hammerton Street next year.

The fitness centre will consist of a state-of-the-art gym with the latest Technogym equipment, free weights and all-new functional training area.

The sports store is due to open in February/March and the entire project will create around 25-30 jobs in the area.

A spokesman for the chain said: “We are delighted to announce to be opening a new DW Gym and Sports Store in Burnley.

“It is a fantastic area that is thriving at the moment and we feel we can offer the residentsof Burnley a new sporting experience unlike any other in the area.”

Fourteen workers at the JJB store in Burnley lost their jobs when the store was shut in October last year and Coun. Shah Hussain, the council’s Cabinet member for regeneration, said this new opening was welcome boost.

“It’s great for the town centre. It is an iconic and prominent building; one that has been closed now for over a year. People have said there are already a lot of fitness centres around the town but more and more people are getting health conscious nowadays.

“From a council perspective it’s great. We get business rates for a building we were getting nothing for; we get an empty building opened up again and we will hopefully get more people into the town centre shopping because of it.”