When was esporta established

Well, nothing has changed but the price point and the marquee for the better. From what we understand, LA Fitness members are invited to use the space as it was before its closure last year while still enjoying the upgrades without the Esporta prices : signature club status, towel service, exercise machines equipped with LCD screens and a renovated locker room.

Are you a member? Tell us your dirt below. What hell has LA Fitness in midtown put you through during this process? What Now Atlanta is assembling Atlanta's leading organizations in the restaurant, retail and real estate industries to help you take your business to the next level.

Esporta deserved to fail. Esporta was soooooooooo nice. I loved the complimentary towels in the locker room , the new equipment, the cleanliness. Ah well. This, said analysts, was too much.

With the company planning to open five more clubs a year over three years in Britain - and 10 or 12 a year in Europe - most analysts revised down forecasts. Analysts pointed out that competitors' clubs have been reaching profitability considerably faster than the six to 12 months Esporta is, on average, thought to take. By then, however, First Leisure already had begun building an interest in another area, one that promised explosive growth.

More health and fitness-related acquisitions followed, including that of ISK Leisure, bringing the company's total holdings in that market to 26 by century's end. Another area of focus for First Leisure was the bar and discotheque market.

By the middle of the s, First Leisure had become one of the United Kingdom's leading discotheque operators, with more than 20 large-capacity clubs and theme bars grouped under its Dancing division. By then, however, First Leisure was facing widespread criticism for its diversified some called them unrelated interests. This sentiment was shared by Michael Grade, son of Leslie Grade, who joined the company as chairman and chief executive in Michael Grade had long blazed his own path in the United Kingdom's entertainment industry.

After starting a career as a reporter with the Daily Mirror at the age of 17, Grade moved to Hollywood in the s, joining Embassy Television to produce the long-running hit 'Who's the Boss' and other hit series. Grade's arrival at First Leisure was greeted enthusiastically by his uncle, the sole surviving Winogradsky brother, who told the Independent on Sunday: 'I'm very proud of Michael. He is the only person in the British entertainment business with creative ability and business ability.

The two rarely go together. Grade faced criticism from another front. Stockholders revolted over Grade's hefty pay package, while complaining about the company's slipping share price. In response, Grade stepped down as company chairman, while retaining the CEO spot. He also vowed to conduct a review of the company's operations. Grade's review reached a conclusion that many analysts saw as inevitable: the breakup of the company.

In early , Grade sold off First Leisure's failing bingo division, vowing to refocus. As part of our commitment to actively address climate risks, Duke Street is a signatory to the Initiative Climate International iCI , a global private equity initiative focused on cross-sector collaboration to develop pragmatic solutions to address climate change and, in particular, reduce carbon emissions of portfolio companies.

As responsible investors we aim to minimise our environmental impact by ensuring efficient resource use in energy, water usage, recycling and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Our investment committee oversees all investment decisions and we have put in place practices to ensure that we and our portfolio companies comply with all relevant corporate governance policies and procedures.

We aim to maintain a positive working environment both at Duke Street and portfolio company level by promoting diversity and inclusion and ensuring compliance with all employment legislation. With careful consideration to all environmental, public health, safety and social issues we build better, more sustainable brands which benefit both Duke Street investors and the wider community in which our businesses operate.

Turning troubled businesses around can present real challenges. Getting the right management team in place and setting the strategic course for transformation early enough is crucial. Although market conditions became more competitive, we strengthened management and stuck with the company to create a solid business with a more loyal customer base, better profitability and a stronger balance sheet.

We created the Esporta Group by acquiring two premium tennis, health and fitness clubs in — Esporta and Invicta. In the period leading up to the deal, Esporta plc had experienced problems which included two profits warnings, the departure of its CEO and a halving of its share price. With our backing, the company went on to become one of the leading health and fitness clubs in the UK.

We had been tracking Esporta since it was listed on the London Stock Exchange in It then set out on an ambitious expansion programme which hit short-term profits growth unexpectedly hard, despite the company having first-class facilities in top locations.

The short-term problems that followed gave us the opportunity to build a sizeable stake in the company in the first place, and then to complete the first ever hostile take-private by a UK Private Equity firm. At the time of the deal, the enlarged group comprised 18 tennis clubs and 42 health and fitness clubs, with a further 13 scheduled to open before the end of In January , we raised new debt facilities to finance the continued growth of Esporta's racquets club business to combat increasing competition in the sector.

We also strengthened the management team to turn the business around focussing on measures to boost profits and customer retention. Customer retention and profitability were improved and a loss-making overseas business was sold. Management also delivered an exciting pipeline of new site opening opportunities which helped attract a wide range of interest from potential buyers. In February , Esporta was sold to the Halabi family trust. At the time of the sale, Esporta exhibited market-leading performance, with profitability and key customer KPIs well above the industry average.

The Duke Street investor base comprises traditional funds and pools of committed capital alongside co-investment mandates from high quality investors, which include Fund of Funds, Pension Funds, Insurance Companies and Family Offices amongst others. Our investors are long-term supporters of the private equity model and are located across the globe with substantial support from North America and Europe. Duke Street adopted a deal-by-deal funding strategy in , subsequently raising committed capital to invest alongside its co-investment mandates.

Duke Street itself invests substantially in each deal ensuring maximum alignment between Duke Street, its investors and management teams.

This will see Kent take ownership and responsibility for all sales, marketing and distribution across the Dalkeith portfolio, as well as continue the development of its strong pipeline. Both leadership teams have worked closely together to ensure a quick and seamless transition.

The acquisition will enable Kent to further establish itself as a UK market leader in the large, growing and non-cyclical market for generic pharmaceuticals. Dalkeith brings a diverse product portfolio, an exciting pipeline and robust IP. This makes it a very attractive investment — and one that closely aligns with our strategy of actively pursuing accretive bolt-on acquisitions. We look forward to continuing to actively support the Kent management team in delivering their ambitious plans.

Fundamentally, the acquisition of Dalkeith strengthens our portfolio and pipeline and enhances our offering to customers — and this will help us to deliver the next chapter of our long-term growth strategy. COMPO is a market leader across continental Europe, having established a wide range of technically superior products under one of the most respected and well-known brands in the industry. The organisation owns unrivalled production and distribution infrastructure and has established brands that are widely familiar to distribution customers and consumers alike.

The horticulture market has shown strong signs of growth as gardening boomed throughout lockdowns and has accelerated the trend of sustainable-conscious consumers seeking eco-friendly products to tend to their gardens. In particular, we have the right blend of experience, ability and vision to accelerate our growth by expanding our reach and providing consumers across Europe with the most extensive range of organic, sustainable and traditional products.

After enjoying the support of Kingenta for a number of years, the business is poised for this exciting next stage of its evolution. Sustainability is of particular importance for Duke Street and that aligns perfectly with our careful stewardship of this business and with the growing priorities of our customers and end-consumers.

Duke Street is very proud to announce that even in this annus horribilis for global travel caused by the COVID pandemic, Great Rail Journeys has been awarded two prestigious travel awards. The competition, organised by the Technical University Munich, involved students resolving problems that inhibit medical supply in developing countries in the most innovative way. The students began working on solutions such as respiratory masks, respirators and protective equipment and it soon became apparent that practical assistance would be the main focus for the students this year.

The winning team came up with the exciting idea to create protective masks from conventional coffee filters. These masks offer the same protection as professional masks. Following the suspension of its cruises, A-Rosa River Cruises has donated all the unused perishable goods from its Rhine ships to a charity in Cologne.

The charity was pleased to accept the donation and the crew assisted the volunteers who came to collect the goods. With a strong focus on sustainability across its entire fleet, the shipping company is hopeful that further ships will qualify for the award in the near future. Established in , on a voluntary basis, the Green Award program encourages cleaner and safer maritime shipping. Since its inauguration, several ships and shipping companies from across the world achieved Green Award certification in the areas of quality, safety and the environment.

Effective , the Green Award foundation developed a program for inland shipping, which has been a great success to date and is very popular with inland shipping companies. Criteria such as shore power connections and environmentally friendly wastewater treatment systems are considered to be of particular importance. Ardent is today leading the plant hire industry by announcing an innovative carbon offsetting programme.

In partnership with ClimateCare, the expert at financing, managing and developing climate projects, Ardent is offering a not-for-profit carbon offsetting service to its customers. For just a few pounds extra a week, customers can offset their greenhouse gas emissions and make their hires carbon neutral.

Carbon charges are displayed separately to hire charges on invoices and funds are used to offset emissions with carbon credits from Gold Standard projects that are independently verified for their carbon reduction volumes.

As an extra first step, Ardent has paid to offset the 3, tonnes of CO2 produced annually by its 55 HGVs, meaning that all customer deliveries and collections are carbon neutral up to the end of April Electric machines and alternative fuels, such as hydrogen, will undoubtedly substitute diesel machines at some point in the future, but due to a number of factors, including capital cost, power limitations and access to charging, this shift is currently not possible.

In the meantime, while we wait for the right technologies to become a reality, we must take responsibility for our unavoidable emissions today.

Carbon offsetting is a practical, affordable solution for making hires carbon neutral, that can be acted upon today. The investment we have made in offsetting the emissions from our HGV fleet shows our concern and determination to make a difference. We are equally passionate about carbon reduction.