LEISURE group De Vere, owner of Southampton's flagship five-star Grand Harbour Hotel, has revealed major expansion plans in a bid to capitalise on a recovery in the hotels market.
It intends to accelerate the roll-out of its mid-market Village hotels and said it envisages up to 50 in the UK and would open four new sites by the spring of 2006 including one in Bourne-mouth.
Negotiations are taking place on three further locations and the roll-out of the Village brand would then accelerate to up to five sites a year.
Talks were also taking place to manage a string of top golf courses in Europe to take advantage of the trend for UK golfers to travel abroad for their sport.
De Vere posted a 14.7 per cent rise in pre-tax profits before exceptional items to £45.6 million for the year to September 25, with turnover rising 3.1 per cent to £321.8 million. De Vere operates 15 health and fitness clubs trading as Greens, 13 Village leisure clubs and distillers G&J Greenall.
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