Some residents have previously claimed the gym would be open by Easter
Mystery surrounds whether a Tesco store in Merseyside could be getting a gym installed upstairs. In September 2024, some people living in Prescot claimed a PureGym would open in the Tesco Extra, located in the Cables Retail Park.
In a local Facebook group, a woman asked: “I’ve heard the Tesco in the retail is getting turned into a gym upstairs? Does anyone know when this will be done?”
A man replied: “In the new year, around Easter, PureGym will be going into Tesco. Entrance will be the current fire escape near the bus stops.”
Another woman said: “I spoke to the lady giving out information at the front of the store. She said it will be around spring next year.” Others claimed the PureGym would be placed on the ground floor, with clothing moving upstairs.
When contacted by the ECHO at the time, a PureGym spokesperson declined to comment. Tesco did not respond when contacted.
Some Prescot residents now claim the gym will not be going ahead due to the upstairs floor of the store not being suitable for the gym.
In response to a woman asking if the gym would be installed earlier this week, one man replied: “Apparently not because the mezzanine floor isn’t strong enough to bear the weight of the equipment. I could be wrong, but that’s what I’ve heard around and about.”
Another man backed up these claims, adding: “I believe the space where it was due to be situated isn’t suitable as it failed a vibration test, so not at the moment.”
A woman said: “I was told that the floor has to be reinforced, before any equipment could be brought into it. No idea if that means it won’t happen, or just that it will take longer than expected.” Another resident claimed the space would be used instead as a refuge for homeless people.
PureGym and Tesco declined to comment when approached about these fresh claims. There are no recent planning applications related to the store on Knowsley Council’s planning portal.
The ECHO understands that Tesco is always looking at ways to deliver the best possible experience for customers in its stores, including at Prescot Extra, with no plans having been finalised at this time.
It is believed that other store services won’t be impacted by any changes and that the the supermarket will keep the local community updated as plans develop.
PureGyms open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It offers gym memberships with no contracts. In Merseyside, the firm has gyms in Liverpool city centre, Dingle, Edge Lane, Aintree, Kirkby, Bidston and Bromborough.
If the Prescot site opens, it wouldn’t be the first PureGym located in the supermarket. You can find PureGyms inside Tesco in Sunderland and Wisbech in Cambridgeshire.