One of Manchester’s most premium fitness facilities appears to have closed down, leaving members and instructors in the dark.
A forfeiture notice has appeared at the entrance of Blok, a boutique gym and pilates studio in the city centre.
Members have been arriving for classes this week to find the luxury facility at Ducie Street Warehouse closed up.
Native Places, which owns the beautifully restored mill building near Manchester Piccadilly and operates the upper floors as an aparthotel, has confirmed that it’s taken ‘formal possession of the ground floor gym’.
Blok has said they believe that the forfeiture of their lease by landlords is ‘illegal’ and that the team are ‘working to get this resolved as a matter of urgency’.
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The gym also stressed the Manchester is a ‘profitable site, which we have collectively worked hard to grow into a thriving, healthy business’.
With three different studios, Blok opened in Manchester in 2019 offering classes ranging from dumbbell-based weight training to barre and pilates, as well as boxing, calisthenics and HIIT workouts.
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Last year, the gym introduced reformer pilates to its premium offering.
And just last week, Blok had been running a Crowdcube campaign selling shares in the business in exchange for exclusive investor rewards.
Blok Manchester is inside Ducie Street Warehouse, owned by Native Places
Their investment campaign cited 175% growth in membership over the last 12 months, and promised four new flagship sites forecast to generate £1.5m in profit annually.
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Alas, it appears Blok Manchester is now closed. Members have been leaving comments on their Instagram posts asking for updates, and several people are posting TikToks saying they were unable to attend their class.
One person wrote: “Hello I’ve lost my personality as Blok is closed *cry*.”
She added: “You can still book but it’s all locked up, no one can enter the premises … I got one email that they’re having ‘trouble accessing the building’, confused why they’re still allowing people to book??”
Hello I’ve lost my personality as Blok is closed *cry* Good Pilates/Mat/Barre/ reformer studios in Manchester. Also please no say a place that costs the same as my kidney, because that’s not cool 🙂 #BLOK#manchesterpilates#MCR#FYP
A statement from Native Places said: “Native Places has taken formal possession of the ground floor gym following the sustained non-payment of rent by the tenant.
“This action marks the end of a six-year relationship during which Native has consistently supported the tenant in their occupation of the space.
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“Unfortunately, due to continued non-payment, we have had no option but to follow the appropriate legal process. The premises have now been secured, and access is restricted.”
In a statement provided to The Manc, Ed Stanbury, CEO and Founder of Blok, said: “The closure of BLOK Manchester is due to the forfeiture of our lease by our landlords, an action that we believe to be illegal. We are working with our lawyers to get this resolved as a matter of urgency.
“Whilst there has been speculation around financial pressures that may have led to this situation, we want to be clear: BLOK Manchester is a profitable site, which we have collectively worked hard to grow into a thriving, healthy business.
“We’re incredibly proud of the team and community we’ve created in Manchester, and our focus right now is on supporting them as we navigate this.”
Pete Tong’s Ibiza Classics is returning to Manchester later this year
Thomas Melia
DJ and radio presenter Pete Tong MBE is making his way back to Manchester with a whole host of guests ready to help you dance the night away.
Known for his live radio shows such as the ‘Essential Mix’ on BBC Radio 1, Tong is bringing back his widely successful Ibiza Classics club night to Manchester with an equally impressive roster of guests.
The ‘Ibiza Classics’ concept originated and debuted back in 2015 with Tong and co. taking on Royal Albert Hall as part of BBC Radio 1’s Proms schedule, paying homage to the island’s infectious anthems.
Since then, the English DJ has built a music event bigger than he could have ever imagined, and this year it’s celebrating a milestone 10-year anniversary tour heading out across the country.
Pete Tong, Jules Buckley and The Essential Orchestra are bringing Ibiza Classics to AO Arena in Manchester.
Some of Tong’s notable releases include ‘Where’s The Music Gone’ and ‘Apocolypse’, alongside some very respectable dance music artists. He delighted the crowd with this event back in 2023 when he brought Ibiza to Aintree Racecourse.
Other tracks to his name include ‘You Got The Love’ and ‘Time’, both collaborations with Jules Buckley, one of the famous faces you’ll get to see on this special Ibiza Classics tour.
Alongside being a frequent feature on Tong’s hits, Buckley is a well-renowned composer who has worked with the likes of Florence and The Machine, Dizzee Rascal, Arctic Monkeys and more.
Pete Tong and Jules Buckley won’t be fronting AO Arena alone either, as they’re also bringing along another familiar group who are often credited alongside the duo, The Essential Orchestra.
This night is expected to be filled with pure dance hits, and based on recent shows, there might even be appearances from even more musical talents and special guests.
He even invited American-English vocalist Vula, known for hits like ‘Turn Me On (Dr. Love)’, onto the stage, who performed a rendition of Tong’s classic track ‘Good Life’.
Pete Tong, Jules Buckley and The Essential Orchestra are bringing Ibiza Classics to AO Arena on Saturday 6 December with tickets already on sale HERE.
Featured Images – Ash Youd/Publicity Pictures (via Supplied)/BBC/radio1interactive (via Flickr)
News
One in five northerners reverts back to smoking following the disposable vape ban
Emily Sergeant
A shocking new study has claimed that one in five vapers in the North West have reverted back to smoking following the disposable vape ban.
With the ban on single-use disposable vapes now in full force across the UK after taking effect from 1 June, one in five (16%) North West residents who used to vape have hinted that they’ll now go back to smoking cigarettes, according to some eye-opening new research by the life insurance experts at Confused.com.
While the study did reassuringly find that that more than a third (34%) of survey respondents planned to quit vaping after the ban, this doesn’t tell the full story.
Worryingly, more people than not say they plan to keep vaping, with 21% claiming the ban on disposables will actually encourage them to switch to refillable vapes instead, rather than give up all together.
One in five northerners plans to revert back to smoking following the disposable vape ban / Credit: Pxhere
According to Confused.com’s latest data, there has been a 44% increase in the number of people declaring they smoke or vape on their life insurance policy since 2019, but if these survey results are anything to go by, we can expect these figures to be higher in the years to come.
Almost a third of North West vapers (27%) said they started between the ages of 18-25.
Around one in 10 (4%) said they were under 18 when they started vaping, and then at the other end o the spectrum, a third (33%) apparently started at 41 or older.
The single-use vape ban came into force across the UK on 1 June 2025 / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Despite the more concerning findings, Confused.com is choosing to look on the more positive side of things, with Tom Vaughan, who is one of the life insurance experts at Confused.com, commenting: “It’s refreshing to see that many people who vape are using the ban as a springboard to try to quit for good, particularly with the financial and health implications of maintaining the habit.
“We’ve had a significant increase in smokers’ policies for life insurance, which are extremely important for family security and future prospects.
“So when applying for life insurance, it’s important that smokers or vapers declare their habit, as it could impact policies due to the long-term health impact.”
Daisy Jackson -
21st May 2025 
