This popular gym will fill a former Big Lots store in Raleigh. What we know
A new tenant has been announced for one of Raleigh’s now-shuttered Big Lots stores.
Planet Fitness, a gym chain founded in 1992, will move into the old discount store space at Townridge shopping center at 6540 Glenwood Ave., near Pleasant Valley Drive.
It will be the second fitness center for the area, joining Anytime Fitness. Townridge shopping center also houses retailers including Walmart, Biggby Coffee and Chipotle Mexican Grill.
The gym is expected to open by the end of the year, a Planet Fitness public relations manager told The News & Observer in an email.
Planet Fitness has more than 2,700 locations across the United States, plus in Canada, Panama, Mexico, Australia and Spain. There are more than a dozen Planet Fitness gyms in the Triangle, including in Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Hillsborough, Knightdale and Wake Forest.
Many of the locations are open 24 hours, and a gym membership includes free fitness training and access to strength and cardio equipment.
Triangle Business Journal first reported on the Planet Fitness news.
What’s happening with Big Lots?
Fifty Big Lots locations in North Carolina are set to reopen in coming months as part of a deal with Variety Wholesalers.
The North Carolina-based company which also owns Roses, Maxway and Super 10 will operate the Big Lots locations under the Big Lots Brand. In the Triangle, stores expected to reopen starting in May include Wake Forest, Selma and Fuquay-Varina locations.
“All continuing locations will be reopened by early June,” Big Lots previously told The N&O.
However, many Big Lots stores are closed for good following the company’s bankruptcy.
The longtime Raleigh business Grand Slam USA has moved into the former Big Lots at 1515 Garner Station Blvd. Grand Slam USA, which offers a retail store, batting cages and other amenities, moved earlier this year from its original location at 4500 Western Blvd.
This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 1:01 PM.
