Ahead of their 50th wedding anniversary next year, West Sussex based Bell Leisure has completed its move to a new base from Pulborough, seven miles down the road to nearby Washington. The new headquarters offers ample parking for the company’s fleet of 20 vehicles and its current team of 27.
With one building dedicated to ‘operations’ and a second earmarked as a ‘warehouse’ – a third building was potentially going to be surplus to requirements until an obvious link up with the Water Babies brand emerged. “We had a demo pool at our old site which had seen better days and was not relevant to our current business,” explains Paul McMichael, who co-owns the business with Lawrence Pearce and Steve Goldsmith.
“It seems an ideal fit to rent out the space to Water Babies.” Of course, the Bell Leisure team set about building the 10m x 5m x 1.2m swim school pool themselves. With a self-confessed ‘over-specification’ of the pool site, the team chose tried and trusted suppliers including Aquaflex for the on-site lining, Cranbourne Stone for the porcelain tiling pool surround and an OASE automatic roller system.
A Polytropic heat pump was supplied by Lighthouse Pools with Intopool providing a 6mm heat retention cover backed by a Kuntze dosing system, Darou UV system and a Calorex unit for the dehumidification and climate control. “I guess the move to Washington reflects the evolution of the company with the need for a different footprint to match the type of services the company is offering today,” says Paul.
“We are much more pool service driven these days and do not feel we need a showroom, like we used to, with sales so much more internet driven. A long journey since the Seventies when the company used to sell snooker tables through the quieter winter months to prop up out-of-season revenue downturns. “Lawrence, Steve and I are pleased with the move and a footprint for the company that better fits the size we are now, with our focus on pool servicing as well as new builds and pool refurbs.
Bell Leisure
Tel. 01903 892040
www.bell-leisure.co.uk
