Latest news with #SimonPalethorpe
Scottish Sun
30-04-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Top Haven holiday park gets new ‘first of its kind' £10m swimming complex – featuring ‘splash zone' and rapids slide
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A NEW £10million swimming pool and water flume are due to open at a Kent holiday park this year. The Haven Holidays Kent Coast Holiday Park near Rochester will soon boast a new facility, due to open towards the end of the 2025 season. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 The new swimming complex will feature a splash activity zone and rapids slide Credit: Haven Holidays 5 The park has also announced 50 new pitches will be added across 2025 Credit: Haven Kent Coast 5 And a JD Wetherspoon recently opened at the site Credit: Haven/J D Wetherspoon In a post on social media, the owners of the park at Kent Coast revealed that the facility will be "the first of its kind at Haven". The swimming complex will feature a splash activity zone, falling rapids slide, more space for swimmers and conversion of the current outdoor pool into another indoor pool. Following the announcement, many fans commented on social media, with one saying: "Can't wait, looks really good, it has needed doing as the pool is not big enough anymore." Construction of the new facility has already started, with minimal impact on guests staying at the site. In addition to the new facility, Haven Holidays bosses confirmed the site will also gain 50 pitches, which will be added across 2025, according to Kent Live. Many developments and upgrades have been carried out at the Kent site over the past 18 months including the addition of an outdoor adventure village, entertainment show bar and an expanded arcade. There is also a new JD Wetherspoon pub at the site. Named The London Stone, the pub opened on March 24 and follows Haven's £8.3million investment in providing better food and beverages to guests for 2025. A number of other Wetherspoon pubs have also opened at Haven's locations in Cleethorpes Beach, Devon Cliffs, and Haggerston Castle. Last year, the site also opened The Creative Studios - a hub for activities including pottery and Make a Bear. Lancashire staycation Simon Palethorpe, chief executive of Haven, said: "In recent years, Brits have been rediscovering the joy of a UK seaside holiday and everything that holiday parks have on offer, with coastal communities and the wider economy directly benefiting from the continued growth in domestic tourism. "That is why we are investing heavily to continue to bring holidaymakers more of what they love – from expanding our partnership with JD Wetherspoon to the incredible new pool at Kent Coast. "Our parks have begun welcoming their first guests of 2025 and I'm excited to see more families enjoy stunning beaches, their favourite food and drink brands, alongside fantastic activities and entertainment," reports Kent Live. There is also an award-winning holiday park in the UK, that you probably don't know about. Plus, England's top three underrated holiday parks. 5 The park has said there will be minimal disruption during construction Credit: Haven Kent Coast
The Sun
30-04-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Top Haven holiday park gets new ‘first of its kind' £10m swimming complex – featuring ‘splash zone' and rapids slide
A NEW £10million swimming pool and water flume are due to open at a Kent holiday park this year. The Haven Holidays Kent Coast Holiday Park near Rochester will soon boast a new facility, due to open towards the end of the 2025 season. 5 5 In a post on social media, the owners of the park at Kent Coast revealed that the facility will be "the first of its kind at Haven". The swimming complex will feature a splash activity zone, falling rapids slide, more space for swimmers and conversion of the current outdoor pool into another indoor pool. Following the announcement, many fans commented on social media, with one saying: "Can't wait, looks really good, it has needed doing as the pool is not big enough anymore." Construction of the new facility has already started, with minimal impact on guests staying at the site. In addition to the new facility, Haven Holidays bosses confirmed the site will also gain 50 pitches, which will be added across 2025, according to Kent Live. Many developments and upgrades have been carried out at the Kent site over the past 18 months including the addition of an outdoor adventure village, entertainment show bar and an expanded arcade. There is also a new JD Wetherspoon pub at the site. Named The London Stone, the pub opened on March 24 and follows Haven's £8.3million investment in providing better food and beverages to guests for 2025. A number of other Wetherspoon pubs have also opened at Haven's locations in Cleethorpes Beach, Devon Cliffs, and Haggerston Castle. Last year, the site also opened The Creative Studios - a hub for activities including pottery and Make a Bear. Simon Palethorpe, chief executive of Haven, said: "In recent years, Brits have been rediscovering the joy of a UK seaside holiday and everything that holiday parks have on offer, with coastal communities and the wider economy directly benefiting from the continued growth in domestic tourism. "That is why we are investing heavily to continue to bring holidaymakers more of what they love – from expanding our partnership with JD Wetherspoon to the incredible new pool at Kent Coast. "Our parks have begun welcoming their first guests of 2025 and I'm excited to see more families enjoy stunning beaches, their favourite food and drink brands, alongside fantastic activities and entertainment," reports Kent Live. There is also an award-winning holiday park in the UK, that you probably don't know about. Plus, England's top three underrated holiday parks. 5 5
Scottish Sun
22-04-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Haven Holidays boss eyes more on-site Wetherspoons pubs and rival takeovers
The boss of Haven Holidays sipped his £2.95 pint of Ruddles — then set his sights on more on-site Wetherspoons pubs and rival takeovers. Simon Palethorpe met The Sun at Haven's newest Spoons, with trademark crazy carpets, signs for curry nights and cheap booze. 4 Haven Holidays boss Simon Palethorpe enjoys a pint of Ruddles before telling how he is eyeing more on-site Wetherspoons pubs and rival takeovers Credit: Paul Edwards 4 Haven Holidays fans Stacey Solomon and hubby Joe Swash with their family Credit: Instagram/staceysolomon Their tie-up was the pub chain's first foray into the world of franchises — and it now has five Haven pubs. Mr Palethorpe, speaking at his Kent coast site near Rochester, said of his customers: 'They like brands they know, they like certainty over what they'll spend and Wetherspoons brings that in spades.' He now wants to accelerate an expansion, adding: 'Everybody seeing the results we've had would be keen to go a little bit faster.' Boasting views over the Thames estuary, with TV's Stacey Solomon and hubby Joe Swash among those owning a caravan, it had 20 per cent more visitors at Easter than the year before. Overall, 400,000 visited its 39 UK camps over Easter, with 3.6million this year. 4 Flume fun at a Havens holiday site Credit: Haven Holidays Its boss went on: 'I'd definitely love us to have more parks.' Asked about acquiring rival Away Resorts, he replied: 'We're open to discussion on individual parks, groups of parks.' It is investing £10million in a new swimming pool and flume in Kent, which will create more jobs. But it faces a 'significant' rise in staff costs due to National Insurance changes. There is also a fear Labour's looming Employment Rights Bill will make it harder to hire the 8,000 seasonal workers it relies on. Mr Palethorpe told The Sun: 'We will have to see if the Government actually listens to what the hospitality industry is saying.' Wetherspoons taste test M&S is hit by cyber hackers MARKS & SPENCER has become the latest British firm to fall victim to cyber criminals. The retailer yesterday disclosed a 'cyber incident' had impacted its store operations over the weekend. 4 Marks & Spencer has become the latest British firm to fall victim to cyber criminals - after an attack targeted stores on Tuesday morning Credit: Getty It temporarily suspended contactless payments and 'click and collect' orders to help it manage problems caused by hackers. M&S said it had restored contactless payments yesterday morning but admitted that click and collect orders were still facing disruption. It is working with cyber experts to manage the breach and it is understood customer data has not been affected. Cyber attacks on businesses have become an increasing threat with Morrisons and Sainsbury's suffering stock shortages before Christmas due to an attack on software provider Blue Yonder. The Post Office, the BBC, British Airways and Boots have also been hit in the past. Craft's nine shop axe Hobbycraft is shutting at least nine shops in the UK — less than a year after its takeover by Modella Capital. Modella, which struck a deal earlier this month to buy WH Smith's high street business, has launched a restructuring of the company. Nine shops will be shut by mid-July, affecting up to 126 jobs. But the firm said that the move would help to secure the future of its remaining 99 stores and 1,800 staff. DCC health sale Business support services group DCC is selling its healthcare arm for £1.05billion. It will offload the division, which employs more than 3,000 people, to Healthco Investment, a subsidiary of Investindustrial Advisors. Donal Murphy, chief executive officer of the London-listed company, said: 'Our strategy will continue to build DCC as a market-leading, multi-energy business.' Shares in DCC dipped by almost four per cent yesterday as analysts had hoped the division would get £1.6billion. Two of Britain's biggest mortgage lenders cut their rates yesterday in a boost for homebuyers. Halifax and NatWest dropped mortgage rates by up to 0.19 per cent and offered 3.94 per cent rates. It follows similar moves by other lenders last week. Spending boost The average household is almost £25 a week better off than a year ago, the latest Asda income tracker says. Disposable income after bills and spending on essentials is now at £258 a week — ten per cent more than a year ago. This increase is largely due to easing inflation and falling fuel prices, with both petrol and diesel a lot cheaper. And average earnings have increased by 5.6 per cent. But there are warnings that higher utility bills, welfare cuts and a cooler job market may eat into spending power.
