Fitness community and clothing brand, Gymshark, has announced plans to open its first standalone store in the North at the Trafford Centre in Manchester. Having opened a space in Selfridges in the Trafford Centre last year, Gymshark now plans to open a 7,500 square foot store on Upper Peel Avenue this summer.
Following the success of its flagship store on London’s Regent Street and the opening of the Westfield Stratford City store last summer, Gymshark fans will now be able to shop the brand in a permanent store up North. The Gymshark store in Manchester, which opens on July 12, will become home to all of Gymshark’s activewear, featuring a vast range of sizes, colours and styles to suit all, as well as contain exclusives for Gymshark Trafford Centre.
The store will include mannequins created from real people in the community, destinations for its hero products and the coolest of changing rooms with bespoke lighting. Of course, We Do Gym is also coursing through the store’s veins.
Gymshark’s first standalone store in the UK outside of London follows recent openings in The Dubai Mall and on Kalverstraat in Amsterdam. It also comes ahead of the opening of Gymshark’s first flagship store in the US later this year.
Hannah Mercer, General Manager, Wholesale & Retail Gymshark, said: “Since we announced that we were going to open a permanent store in Trafford Centre, back in September, I don’t think a day has gone by where someone hasn’t got in touch to ask me WHEN? It’s so great to be now able to reveal the date to such an engaged audience. It’s such an amazing time to be opening in the City, as it seems to be on absolute fire right now. Whether it’s the economic boom, the thriving fitness scene or even a couple of brothers coming back together, it is undoubtedly the place to be. I can’t wait for that ribbon to be cut.”
Simon Layton, Centre Director at Trafford Centre, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Gymshark’s first Northern store to Trafford Centre this July, joining our growing athleisure and sportswear offering at the centre. We have no doubt that Gymshark will prove immensely popular and can’t wait to welcome them on opening day.”
Founded in a garage by a gym-obsessed Ben Francis back in 2012, Gymshark has grown from humble beginnings to a global fitness community of over 20 million people across more than 200 countries. And that obsession has remained (it’s in the name) through the recent launch of its We Do Gym platform.
It’s designed to tell everyone that Gymshark isn’t a sports brand or an athleisure brand, it’s a gym brand. Gymshark prides itself on being the brand for creating the tools to help everyone achieve their very best in the gym, not just from the clothing it sells, but from the community it has built around it
When it comes to community, the brand hosted one of its first-ever community meet-ups in the city in the early days and greeted thousands of gymgoers to Manchester Central in 2023 at its first post-Covid event – Lift MCR.
Gymshark is set to open at Upper Peel Avenue, Trafford Centre, Trafford Park, Stretford, Manchester, M17 8AA on July 12, 2025.