While an exact opening date has yet to be set, Planet Fitness is expected to open its doors in Chatham later this year.
Sarah Wilson, marketing manager for Impact Fitness, which is part of a franchise group with Planet Fitness, said they're aiming to open a facility sometime in November. Chatham's newest gym will set up shop in the former Target store located on Grand Avenue West in the Thames Lea Plaza.
Wilson said the success of Planet Fitness in nearby cities led to a facility being opened locally.
"We actually opened two clubs recently in the [nearby] area. We opened our Windsor location and, in the last few months, our Sarnia location," she said. "We've received such a warm welcome in the market and it made us look into other expansion options and other underserved areas in Ontario... Chatham seemed to be the next best fit."
Wilson said the gym will be open and staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. She said membership options will include free unlimited fitness training, and the gym offers a variety of small group fitness classes, Monday through Friday.
"Our model is based on the judgement free zone, meaning we don't cater to bodybuilders or powerlifters. We focus on general fitness and the majority of our members are actually first-time gym users," Wilson said. "A part of our mission is to make sure that we create and provide a clean, comfortable and non-intimidating environment where everybody feels safe and welcome."
Early membership options will be available for people to sign up sometime in September, Wilson said and added that the hiring process will also begin around the same time. The gym is expected to create a number of new job opportunities locally.
"We typically have a least 15 employees on a club team," she said. "We always try to hire local."
For more information about Planet Fitness memberships and what to expect when the gym opens in November, click here.