PureGym names Punch Pubs boss as new chief executive

PureGym has named Punch Pubs chain boss Clive Chesser as its new chief executive.

Mr Chesser will take on the top role at the gym operator on November 6, when current chief executive Humphrey Cobbold will become chairman after nearly 10 years at the helm.

Mr Chesser has spent 17 years in the pub industry, having headed up Punch Pubs & Co since June 2018 and previously held senior roles at Greene King Pub Partners and Brewing & Brands.

He has also worked at firms including ice-cream giant Haagen-Dazs and Upper Crust owner SSP.

PureGym’s outgoing boss, Mr Cobbold, said: “It has been the stand-out privilege of my career to have guided PureGym through its development over the past 10 years.

“The board and I are delighted to have secured Clive as our next CEO, after an extensive international search.

“He has the perfect skill set to guide us on the next exciting stage of our growth journey.”

Punch separately announced on Wednesday that it has promoted current chief operating officer Andy Spencer to replace Mr Chesser as chief executive.

He will take on the job from September 27, when Mr Chesser will leave after six years in the role ahead of joining PureGym.

Mr Chesser, who is a keen marathon runner, said: “Health and fitness is an important part of my life and so now feels the right time for me to embark on a new adventure and to test myself in a different sector.

“I have long admired PureGym for its clearly defined, purpose-driven mission to inspire healthier nations, with inclusivity at its heart.”

PureGym – which is owned by Leonard Green & Partners, KKR and members of its management team – recently said that underlying earnings grew by 26.2% to £231.5 million in 2023 as revenues grew 15% to £549 million despite a tough consumer backdrop.

It said it will keep expanding with new gyms after opening 40 across the UK in 2023, helping take its total worldwide to 600 at the end of last year, including around 370 in Britain.

The company plans to open a further 200 gyms across the UK and Switzerland, another key market, over the next three to four years.