Makers of Hot Spring, Caldera, Hot Spot Spas and Limelight Hot Tubs, Watkins Manufacturing recently celebrated the significant milestone of producing its one millionth spa.
To mark the occasion, Watkins recognised its employees‘ significant and ongoing commitment to excellence with celebrations at its manufacturing plants in California and Mexico.
pool and spa trade
Working from its prime office and showroom location in Essex,
formerly home to Penguin Pools, renowned pool builders of the Seventies and Eighties, Aquascapes has not flinched from filling such large water leisure boots.
Whether as project consultants, designers or providing a turnkey wet leisure installation, Aquascapes has carved itself a
formidable name in the commercial water leisure sector.
Representatives of the 26 member companies that make up the UK-based buying consortium of National Leisure gathered in Amsterdam recently accompanied by Pool and Spa Scene editor, Christina Connor. The group visited the premises of Interhiva and Starline in Holland and Belgium to find out more about the products National Leisure already stocks and to learn about many new products they could potentially add to their 2012 offering.
Cut throat price-slashing is costing the pool building industry
dear according to one of its leading figures, Stephen Booth,
managing director of Alba/SB Pools Ltd.
“The industry should be very concerned about the pricing that is going on,” warns Stephen. “Companies are slashing prices in order to win contracts at a no-profit price,” he says.
Stephen emphasises: “Price slashing is a short term strategy which ends up with too many companies closing and not being able to see contracts through – making life doubly difficult for the professional companies that are left.”
Signature Products has completed the installation of a 12 x 5m
deck level, one-piece, pre-tiled pool along with four, deck overflow pre-tiled spas at the Nirvana Spa, the UK’s largest independent spa.
Set in 11 acres of Berkshire countryside, the new additions take the number of pools to eight with a further eight spas and plunge pools.
When the JC Leisure team was recently invited to a three-day seminar
with one of the company’s major clients, they hired a formula one
replica car that proved to be the talking point of the event.
It is not only their promotional flair that ensures JC Leisure
stands out from the crowd.
The company prides itself on offering top level expertise at best
value with the backing of a customer care service that is second
to none.
Based in Essex, the company provides water side facility
support 24/7 and 365 days a year with engineers strategicallybased
around the UK to ensure a prompt attendance.
The company has more than 300 clients both commercial and
residential and is currently contracted on a national basis to Hilton
Hotels, LA Fitness, Esporta and work on an ad-hoc basis for David
Lloyd, Virgin Active, Park Inn and various council-run leisure centres.
Expanding both in the UK and in Europe, the company is
growing its supply side with the recent launch of a new catalogue.
JCL was formed in Nov 2005, by Alan Lester, the current CEO
and Jamie Brewers, now Director of Engineering.
RETIRED BANKER
Alan had retired from a major High Street bank after 30 years
where he was managing a £16 billion turnover. He drifted into the
leisure industry for ‘something to do’ in his spare time and soon spotted
the potential for an ‘out of hours’ pool maintenance company.
A chance meeting with pool engineer, Jamie Brewer proved the
catalyst and the business began to make its first tentative steps.
When Alan’s wife Jacqui joined the business, she brought her
experience in sales, marketing and accounts which prompted the
first major breakthrough, a service contract for 80 leisure site
nationwide.
As the company thrived, Craig White then joined as a partner in
2006, strengthening the team with 15 years industry experience.
With a workforce in excess of 30, three significant players
are Alan’s three daughters. Alan’s youngest daughter, Ria, had
just graduated from the University of Essex in June 2007 when
she joined as logistics co-ordinator and she ran this side of the
business single-handed for nearly a year.
Nicole, Alan’s eldest daughter, joined in October 2007 after a
marketing/events career in radio. Coming with a BA Hons degree
in marketing and six years’ marketing experience, Nicole worked
on generating awareness of the brand and launched the sales/
consumables side of the business.
The third and final daughter to join was at the time working
for a major European soft-drinks company, again in sales and
marketing. Natalie was a BA Hons Business graduate with an
outstanding head for strategy and HR.
According to the Guinness Book Of World Records, San Alfonso del Mar, is the largest and deepest swimming pool in the world.
The focal point of a private resort located in Algarrobo, Chile, about 100km (60 miles) west of the capital Santiago, San Alfonso’s
pool is 1,000m long.
