Sweaty Betty to open shop in Ringwood’s The Furlong

British founded Sweaty Betty will open its latest outlet in Ringwood’s Furlong shopping centre, replacing the Aga cooker shop which closed its doors in April.

The brand, which specialises in upmarket women’s activewear, has more 50 boutiques in the UK, six in the United States and concessions in department stores Harrods and Bloomingdale’s.

Residents were first alerted to the Furlong’s newest tenant when the shop windows were bedecked with Sweaty Betty branding and the words ‘opening soon’.

• Read more: Aga store at Furlong Shopping Centre closes

Charlie Reed, Furlong marketing manager, told the Echo: “We are delighted to be welcoming the popular women’s activewear brand, Sweaty Betty, to The Furlong shopping centre in Ringwood.

“To attract a premium retailer like this to a market town is really exciting for us and will only build upon our already successful store mix. We have lots of exciting plans that we will be announcing on our social media channels in the coming months, so keep your eyes peeled for updates.”

The former Aga store at the Furlong Shopping Centre, Ringwood

Following a social media announcement, residents were mostly pleased by the news. One person commented: “Fabulous. Hats off to places like Ringwood for attracting quality businesses to the town centre. Wish we could do same in Christchurch.”

However, some expressed concern that the high-end model would alienate some potential customers, citing a lack of similar activewear clothing stores for women in the area.

One woman wrote: “A more affordable store like Zara would’ve been great to have or even an M&S store.”

In August last year, Sweaty Betty was bought by publicly traded American apparel manufacturer Wolverine Worldwide for £300m.

The new Ringwood shop has a rough opening date of May 9, however this is yet to be confirmed.

The Daily Echo has approached Sweaty Betty to comment.