Guern
3rd Jun 2004, 17:39
From todays Guernsey Press
"Healthspan wants to take on Flybe
by Claire Sims
HEALTHSPAN has bought a £1m.-plus major shareholding in Rockhopper in a joint venture to boost tourism to the Channel Islands.
Rockhopper founder and chairman Noel Hayes, left, welcomes Healthspan MD and founder Derek Coates onboard. (Picture by Brian Green, 0098864)
The Guernsey mail order vitamin and supplement retailer has already purchased three Bailiwick hotels over the last six months – the Favorita and the Fermain in Guernsey and the Seaview Hotel and the adjacent Divers’ Pub in Alderney. All are undergoing complete renovation and are due to open in April next year.
Its investment in the Alderney-based airline will allow it to offer ‘a quality holiday at sensible prices’ to more than two million customers, said Derek Coates, Healthspan managing director and founder.
‘We want to bring new customers into Guernsey and Alderney who currently would not be aware of what we have to offer and also to develop new routes.’
In the long term, he said that the airline wanted to tackle what he called Flybe’s ‘monopoly situation’. ‘Things like that shouldn’t exist,’ he said.
He said that Healthspan customers were not keen on large, crowded airports such as Gatwick with costly parking. The small regional airports which Rockhopper serves, such as Brighton and Bournemouth, were more accessible and offered shorter check-in times and easier parking.
‘Our investment in Rockhopper means that we can be confident that the quality of the product is maintained from start to finish,’ said Mr Coates.
He said that market research showed 90% of its customer base of two million ‘upmarket’ adults would be interested in coming to the Channel Islands with the company.
Customers will receive holiday information in a separate Healthspan leisure brochure. Stays of a minimum of one week in the Healthspan hotels will be promoted and Mr Coates said that he also intended to buy and form partnerships with other hotels.
Rockhopper passengers will still be able to stay in any hotel that they choose.
Rockhopper founder and chairman Noel Hayes said that the investment – which he said was ‘well into seven figures’ – would put the airline into a strong position. It has been aggressively launching new services and competing on established routes in the past year.
Healthspan’s customer base would also underpin the profitability of its scheduled routes by increasing load factors, he said.
‘It will also mean that we can expand the quality and number
of the routes we fly much
more quickly.’
He said that the airline would benefit from Healthspan’s marketing skills and advertising.
Mr Hayes will remain the airline’s chief executive, running and developing the airline. Mr Coates will join the board as chairman with two other Healthspan directors.
Healthspan will also be investing further to buy a new larger, faster aircraft in the coming months, leaving the present Trislander fleet for short inter-island services.
Rockhopper has built up seven local routes, including Alderney-Brighton, which started last week. Mr Hayes that it would be seeking more similar routes in future. The airline is currently awaiting approval from the Guernsey States for a service between the island and Alderney.
Mr Coates said that this would allay the fears of Alderney residents who believed the company’s move into tourism would make it even harder for them to get flights.
Mr Coates said that the airline viewed it as extra traffic into the islands rather than more competition for an existing passenger market.
He said that Healthspan planned to offer special leisure activities and new initiatives next year, but declined to reveal any details at this stage.
n Healthspan has seen its seventh successive year of growing sales and profits since starting in 1996. It achieved more than 25%
profit growth last year and is already this year 25% up on 2003.
n Rockhopper carried 20,000 passengers in 2003 and expects to take 30,000 this year. It currently has a fleet of two Islander and two Trislander aircraft, offering guaranteed low fares on year-round services."
"Healthspan wants to take on Flybe
by Claire Sims
HEALTHSPAN has bought a £1m.-plus major shareholding in Rockhopper in a joint venture to boost tourism to the Channel Islands.
Rockhopper founder and chairman Noel Hayes, left, welcomes Healthspan MD and founder Derek Coates onboard. (Picture by Brian Green, 0098864)
The Guernsey mail order vitamin and supplement retailer has already purchased three Bailiwick hotels over the last six months – the Favorita and the Fermain in Guernsey and the Seaview Hotel and the adjacent Divers’ Pub in Alderney. All are undergoing complete renovation and are due to open in April next year.
Its investment in the Alderney-based airline will allow it to offer ‘a quality holiday at sensible prices’ to more than two million customers, said Derek Coates, Healthspan managing director and founder.
‘We want to bring new customers into Guernsey and Alderney who currently would not be aware of what we have to offer and also to develop new routes.’
In the long term, he said that the airline wanted to tackle what he called Flybe’s ‘monopoly situation’. ‘Things like that shouldn’t exist,’ he said.
He said that Healthspan customers were not keen on large, crowded airports such as Gatwick with costly parking. The small regional airports which Rockhopper serves, such as Brighton and Bournemouth, were more accessible and offered shorter check-in times and easier parking.
‘Our investment in Rockhopper means that we can be confident that the quality of the product is maintained from start to finish,’ said Mr Coates.
He said that market research showed 90% of its customer base of two million ‘upmarket’ adults would be interested in coming to the Channel Islands with the company.
Customers will receive holiday information in a separate Healthspan leisure brochure. Stays of a minimum of one week in the Healthspan hotels will be promoted and Mr Coates said that he also intended to buy and form partnerships with other hotels.
Rockhopper passengers will still be able to stay in any hotel that they choose.
Rockhopper founder and chairman Noel Hayes said that the investment – which he said was ‘well into seven figures’ – would put the airline into a strong position. It has been aggressively launching new services and competing on established routes in the past year.
Healthspan’s customer base would also underpin the profitability of its scheduled routes by increasing load factors, he said.
‘It will also mean that we can expand the quality and number
of the routes we fly much
more quickly.’
He said that the airline would benefit from Healthspan’s marketing skills and advertising.
Mr Hayes will remain the airline’s chief executive, running and developing the airline. Mr Coates will join the board as chairman with two other Healthspan directors.
Healthspan will also be investing further to buy a new larger, faster aircraft in the coming months, leaving the present Trislander fleet for short inter-island services.
Rockhopper has built up seven local routes, including Alderney-Brighton, which started last week. Mr Hayes that it would be seeking more similar routes in future. The airline is currently awaiting approval from the Guernsey States for a service between the island and Alderney.
Mr Coates said that this would allay the fears of Alderney residents who believed the company’s move into tourism would make it even harder for them to get flights.
Mr Coates said that the airline viewed it as extra traffic into the islands rather than more competition for an existing passenger market.
He said that Healthspan planned to offer special leisure activities and new initiatives next year, but declined to reveal any details at this stage.
n Healthspan has seen its seventh successive year of growing sales and profits since starting in 1996. It achieved more than 25%
profit growth last year and is already this year 25% up on 2003.
n Rockhopper carried 20,000 passengers in 2003 and expects to take 30,000 this year. It currently has a fleet of two Islander and two Trislander aircraft, offering guaranteed low fares on year-round services."