News
News
Luxury Manchester gym and pilates studio mysteriously closes


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 have yet to release any information to members or staff regarding the closure of their Manchester location, but members have noticed that they are able to book classes from Thursday – despite the gym being shut.
With three different studios, Blok opened in 2019 offering classes ranging from dumbbell-based weight training to barre and pilates, as well as boxing, calisthenics and HIIT workouts.
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.

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.
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??”
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.
“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.”
The Manc has approached Blok for comment.
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Featured image: Blok
News
Family pays tribute to ‘gentle young man’ who died after a ‘targeted’ car attack in Bury

The family of a young man who was involved in a collision with a car in Bury earlier this week have now paid tribute to him.
The man has been named as 19-year-old Brandon Porter Kershaw.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) was called to reports of a road traffic collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian on Porritt Street, in Bury, at around 8:10pm on Monday (19 May), and when officers attended the scene, they found a man lying with ‘serious injuries’ in the road.
Despite the best efforts of all emergency services involved, the teenager sadly passed away as a result of his injuries.
Police went on to inform the Greater Manchester community that they believe this was a ‘targeted attack’, with no wider threat to others in the area.
Following this admission, a 38-year-old man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder yesterday (Tuesday 20 May) and was taken to custody ahead of being questioned by detectives from GMP’s Major Incident Team.
With a murder investigation now underway, Brandon’s family have paid a touching tribute to the ‘devoted dad’ via police.
“We are all truly shocked and heartbroken by the sudden loss of Brandon,” their tribute begins.
“He was a gentle, kind-hearted young man whose warmth and social nature touched everyone around him. Brandon was a devoted dad to his young daughter, who he loved deeply. His family meant everything to him, and the bond he shared with his mum was incredibly special, they were best friends.
“Brandon was taken far too soon, and his passing has left a deep void in all our lives. As we come to terms with this devastating news, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve and support one another through this difficult time.”

At this time, police confirmed the driver of the vehicle is still yet to be located, and they are now appealing to the public for information.
“We still have people of interest we are keen to speak to,” explained Detective Chief Inspector David Moores, of GMP’s Major Incident Team. “The driver of the vehicle remains outstanding and relentless efforts are currently being conducted by specialist units to locate him.
“I ask anyone who may have seen something suspicious in the area that evening to come forward and know that information will be treated with the strictest confidence. It only takes one crucial piece of information that may be key to achieving answers for Brandon’s family and friends.”
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Anyone with any potential information is asked to either call police on 101 quoting incident number 3460 of 19/5/25, report it via the LiveChat function on gmp.police.uk, or submit it through the Major Incident Public Portal here.
Featured Image – GMP