Since arriving at the Club one of the main tasks that I have undertaken is to review all aspects of the business. Whilst the business is generally in good health the review has identified a number of areas that we need to focus on. One of the main areas, as highlighted at the recent AGM is that of financial performance.

It is imperative that sound financial management is applied to ensure as a Club we can offer great facilities and a good level of service whilst ensuring fees for all members are competitively priced. We also need to ensure that funding is available for on-going maintenance and improvements to the facility.

Behind the scenes I have been working with the Staff, Management, Directors, Committee and a few members who have offered their expertise and time to appraise the business.

In the last few months you will have seen some changes that are customer/member facing such as the removal of the coffee cards and an annual membership price increase across the board (the first real rise in 7 years).

However there have also been significant savings and value engineering behind the scenes that benefit the Club and you as members. Some of these include: Full review of purchasing and supply chain. One example is a £0.58 saving on a 2 litre carton of milk, which might not sound much, but over a year this will save £780.00.

Under the heading of financial management I also wish to assure you all that the focus is not a cost cutting exercise. To the contrary it is ensuring that we are getting a fair price for everything we purchase and where possible improving the product quality and service levels.

An example of improving the quality of service is perhaps the gym and fitness side of the business, where we have re-structured and as a result of this now employ four professional staff instead of two. In addition to a small saving on the payroll other tangible benefits of this action are; improved staff presence (increased from 48% to 85%), Fitness Classes increased from 8 to 20 per week. (an additional 624 classes over a year). Jermaine has also recently qualified as a Level 3 Personal Trainer and the investment the Club has made to fund the qualification is on track to pay back within 6 months (6 months ahead of target).

My objective is to ensure that we improve the quality of product and service, manage the business pro I would also like to thank all members for welcoming me to the Club and for offers of help and assistance.

Thongsbridge is a great Club and I am committed to making it even better.

David Chell