Member Article

The Bannatyne Group invests in £2.8m head office

The Bannatyne Group has completed a £2.8million investment in a new head office operation in Darlington.

Spearheaded by serial entrepreneur and star of BBC’s Dragons’ Den, Duncan Bannatyne, the group is one of the UK’s leading leisure organisations. It has completed this investment as part of a programme to streamline and improve the

Employing in the region of 3,500, the company has 61 health clubs across the UK, making it Britain’s largest independent health club operator.

The group also has a very successful chain of 34 UK wellbeing spas in addition to a portfolio of four UK hotels and a bar located in the centre of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The majority of the spas are located within Bannatyne’s Health Clubs as part of the group’s holistic approach to offering a comprehensive health and wellbeing offering.

A Bannatyne Spa is also a key feature of the group’s Charlton House Spa Hotel in Shepton Mallet, Somerset. The stylish country hotel now holds two AA Rosettes for its menu and service and is one of only 10 percent of UK restaurants nationwide deemed worthy by the AA to achieve one Rosette or more.

Charlton House has an AA four star rating, which is an accolade also achieved by the Bannatyne Hotel in Darlington in 2012.

The completion of the new head office, which is located adjacent to its previous base in Haughton Road, Darlington and is home to 80 staff, will enhance the group’s nationwide operations.

Bannatyne’s has invested in the latest technology and internet bandwidth to enable it to effectively and efficiently operate its health club membership systems, spa business call centre and online bookings from the one location.

These investments will enhance the service to customers, particularly those interacting with the spa business online and through the call centre. The Bannatyne Spa division of the group has grown in prominence since it was launched in 2006 following the acquisition of health clubs and spas from Hilton International.

Bannatyne’s offering of luxurious, yet value-for-money, spa treatments and excellent levels of service have become increasingly popular with customers across the UK with sales increasing by around 40% over the last two years.

The new building also provides the opportunity for the further growth of Bannatyne’s operations in addition to the potential of letting a proportion of the space to commercial tenants as state-of-the-art serviced offices.

Duncan Bannatyne, Chairman of The Bannatyne Group, said: “The completion of the new head office demonstrates the confidence I have in the group’s future. We have established a respectable share of the leisure and wellbeing market and we will continue to enhance our position through the delivery of high quality products, excellent service and professional expertise.”

Nigel Armstrong, Chief Executive of The Bannatyne Group, said: “The growth of our business nationwide has required further investment in systems and technology that delivers the best possible service to customers while maximising the efficiency of our operations. Wellbeing, relaxation and exercise continue to play a central part of the lifestyles of so many people, therefore the universal synergies between the brands enables the group to provide a comprehensive offering to our customers.”

Nigel added: “We are very proud of our new head office, which demonstrates our confidence in the future and further signals our commitment to Darlington. Operating out of the North East has been very successful for the group and we look forward to growing our operations in the town in the years to come.”

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