Latest News
Esporta Group Appoints New Chief Executive
Esporta, the UK’s leading premium health and leisure club operator, today announced the appointment of John Cleland as Chief Executive Officer. The appointment takes effect from 14 December 2009.
John Cleland (44) is a highly experienced retailer with a proven track record across the retail industry. John was appointed to the Somerfield Board as Chief Operating Officer in February 2006 and was formerly Commercial Managing Director of B&Q. Prior to that John Cleland was Senior Vice President Operations at Wal-Mart Japan and Retail Managing Director at Wal-Mart UK. He also held a number of Trading Director roles at Asda.
Esporta appointed John Cleland after a rigorous search and selection process that considered a broad range of candidates. His wealth of experience will be invaluable in steering the Group through its important next phase of development.
John Cleland, Esporta’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am delighted to join the Esporta team and am encouraged by the progress that has been made in the business in recent months. Whilst I recognise that this is a tough and competitive market, I firmly believe that the Esporta proposition will become our customers’ preferred choice in every location that we operate. Esporta’s customer-focused team will ensure that our members’ needs are at the forefront of every decision we take and our customer service aim will be to surpass our members’ expectations on every interaction.”
“I am excited by the challenge of earning the loyalty of our members and am clear that there is no substitute for providing them with a consistent, high quality experience every time they visit an Esporta club. My first priority will therefore be to make sure we fully understand our members’ needs and focus 100% on quickly addressing their greatest concerns,” he added.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Richard Segal, Esporta’s Chairman, said: “I am delighted to have attracted someone with John Cleland’s experience and standing as Esporta’s new Chief Executive. I have no doubt that he will bring decisiveness and energy to the business and believe that Esporta’s members will be excited by John’s vision and proven track record in delivering world-class customer service and satisfaction. John Cleland’s customer focus and attention to detail will, I’m sure, be a winning formula for Esporta’s members and employees alike.
December 2009
-----------------------
Employees of the leading premium health club chain, Esporta, made history today by breaking the world record for the largest indoor group cycling class.
The 412 cyclists set the new Guinness World RecordTM at Esporta's annual conference at The Gloucestershire Health & Racquets Club.
This is the second time that the premium UK health and fitness chain has broken the record in less than twelve months. The first, which took place on 28 February 2008, saw 323 high spirited Esporta employees cycling simultaneously in an organised class at the company's 2008 annual conference. Esporta's first record lasted five months before being broken in July 2008 by a gym in Valencia, Spain and then again at a trade exhibition in Toronto, Canada.
Esporta's CEO, Glenn Timms, who led today's class on stage alongside fitness instructor Anna Lovelock, said:
"Indoor cycling is one of the most popular of the 3,500 classes that are organised each week at Esporta's 55 clubs across the UK and is something that we consider ourselves specialists in. It's high-tempo, high energy and instructor-led which creates an incredibly motivating environment that helps people get the most out of their workout. We are delighted to have reclaimed our Guinness World Record. Bringing it back to the UK illustrates our winning attitude and drive to encourage every single one of our employees to ‘live the dream' and experience the benefits that our members enjoy when participating in group exercise classes at Esporta Health Clubs."
20 FEB 2009
advertisement