Planet
Fitness is expanding its presence in Springfield with a second location in the
works.
“Our target is to open by early spring,” said Luke Schwartz, marketing manager for franchisee Black Duck Partners, which operates locations in 12 different states and Canada. Approximately 19,000 square feet of space in the Sangamon Center North Shopping Center, which previously housed CVS and Help at Home, is currently undergoing renovations.
Planet Fitness opened its current Springfield location at 1756 Wabash Ave. in January 2013. The New Hampshire-based company operates more than 2,000 clubs nationwide, making it one of the largest fitness club franchises.
“We focus
on being a judgment-free zone; we’re not catering to body builders or powerlifters.
We’re focusing on general fitness,” Schwartz said.
Presales
will start about six weeks prior to the opening of the second location. “We’ll
offer memberships for a $1 prior to the opening,” he said. Classic memberships are
$10 a month, with Black Card memberships for $24.99 a month offering additional
amenities such as access to massage chairs, tanning and the ability to bring
guests.
Schwartz
said the new Sangamon Center location will have the same operating hours as the
existing Springfield Planet Fitness, open 24 hours Monday through Thursday,
then 12 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m.-12 a.m. Sunday.
