Clubhaus PLC, the leading European Leisure Group, has acquired The Essex Golf and Country Club near Coggeshall, Essex at a cost of approximately £5.5 million. Clubhaus owns a total of 22 clubs with 16 in the UK and 6 in continental Europe. This will be the fourth club in Essex as the Group already owns and operates Benton Hall in South Wickham, Stapleford Abbotts in Romford and Three Rivers in Cold Norton.
It is understood that the purchase price is made up by a cash payment of £1.65 million, assumed debts of £3.1 million and a deferred amount of £750,000 in Clubhaus shares. The Essex was previously owned by Eddie Shah’s Messenger Leisure group.
The Essex is a well-established club with a 27-hole golf course, extensive health and fitness facilities, 6 indoor tennis courts, 3 all-weather tennis courts and a 42 bedroom hotel. Clubhaus PLC has a holistic approach to health and fitness and a commitment to provide the very best in technical equipment and staff support. The Essex will be adopting this approach and the club will soon be upgraded to meet with the Clubhaus Group’s standards which will involve considerable investment both in the course and the surrounding facilities.
Commenting on the acquisition, Charlie Parker, managing director of Clubhaus said,
“The Essex is a great club and has a fantastic range of leisure facilities which means it fits in perfectly with the existing clubs in the Group. Our other Essex clubs enjoy an excellent reputation locally and we expect the Essex to be an exciting addition to the Clubhaus family.”