David Lloyd Leisure, Britain’s biggest chain of tennis-based health and fitness clubs, is set to part company with its managing director and deputy chief executive, The Times has learnt.
Nick Backhouse, who has been with the company for the past three years, is stepping down next month and his responsibilities will be assumed by Scott Lloyd, the David Lloyd chief executive, whose father founded the group in 1980.
Analysts suggested that Mr Backhouse, who initially joined as chief operating officer, may have found it difficult to adjust to an operational role after several years as finance director of National Car Parks, Laurel Pub Company and Freeserve.
One analyst suggested that the combination of a managing director and a chief executive at the top of the company may have been “a recipe for treading on each other’s toes”, making Mr Backhouse’s position awkward.
There were also suggestions that, with no immediate prospect of a sale or initial public offering for David Lloyd, he may have decided to seek more lucrative opportunities. Mr Backhouse is said to have accumulated several million pounds from the sale of his three previous employers.
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He joined the David Lloyd group shortly after it was acquired from Whitbread for £925 million by London & Regional, the property group, and merged with its existing Next Generation Clubs chain.
The company has 75 David Lloyd clubs, one Next Generation club and two Harbour Clubs in Britain plus ten venues on the Continent, including clubs in Amsterdam, Brussels and Barcelona.
A spokeman for the group, which is 50 per cent owned by London & Regional, 40 per cent by Caird Capital and 10 per cent by management, confirmed that Mr Backhouse would be leaving next month “after a suitable handover period”.
He said that after the completion of the merger, and with four years of underlying profit growth under his belt, Mr Backhouse felt “that the time is right for him to move on to something new”.
David Lloyd is said to be monitoring events at the rival Esporta chain, which is understood to be considering its options. It may be interested in Esporta’s 21 tennis and squash-based clubs.