A GYM firm with a branch in Barrow has announced it has collapsed into administration.

DW Sports is expected to appoint insolvency specialists after its income was wiped out by the protracted closure of stores and gyms during lockdown.

The company said it will now wind down its retail business for good, with its website ceasing trading with immediate effect and closing-down sales starting at its 50 remaining stores.

There are plans to protect as many jobs and gyms as possible through the restructuring process.

Barrow has a DW Sports shop and gym in Cornerhouse Park.

DW Sports stressed that Fitness First, which is a sister company of DW, will continue to operate as a separate company and its 43 clubs will be unaffected by the administration.

The announcement came on the said day as bosses from Hay's Travel said the company would cut nearly 900 jobs.

Of Thomas Cook's 800 stores, 555 of these were saved by rival Hays Travel last autumn.

Since then, the worldwide coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll on a number of businesses, particularly in the travel sector.

Hay's took over the former Thomas Cook store in Barrow's Dalton Road.