A TOWN centre gym which was supposed to open at the end of this year will not do so until next year. 

JD Gyms will not be coming to Richmond Gardens Shopping Centre in Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth until early 2024, a spokesman for the gym said. 

It was anticipated it would open in the former Wilko unit “towards the end of 2023”. 

JD Gyms, part of JD Sports, was given the green light by BCP Council late last year to open one of 77 sites in Bournemouth. 

Bosses said they are "excited" to open the site as they believe "Bournemouth is a fantastic location".  

They are aiming to provide residents with "affordable" and "stylish" facilities, featuring more than 250 pieces of kit and 300 classes every month. 

However, there have been no visible signs of work going on in the empty unit.

Wilko closed in February 2022 and the unit has been unoccupied since.

Lidl, which was in the unit next door, closed later the same year.

Low footfall and issues with rent were blamed for making both businesses unviable in their location.  

A year ago, the owners of Richmond Gardens Shopping Centre, Evolve Estates, said it hoped to make some “exciting announcements” about tenants coming to both the former Wilko site and the Lidl unit.