 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2009) |
Champneys is the brand name of the largest destination spa group in the United Kingdom.
Champneys Health Resorts Group currently own four spa resorts and has become one of the largest destination spa operators in the world. In 2004, Champneys launched a range of spa products called the Champneys Collection. The companies are currently owned by mother and son, Dorothy and Stephen Purdew.
Contents |
History
Dorothy Purdew set up her own slimming club business and opened her first club on 25 June 1970 at Frimleys, Northampton. It was a success and led to over 70 clubs opening throughout the South East. In September 1981 the Purdew family (Dorothy and her husband Robert) purchased Henlow Grange and one of their sons Stephen joined the company. Following the death of Robert Purdew, Stephen now manages the entire group.
In 1990 they purchased Springs Health Farm in Leicestershire and invested £10 million and this was followed by a purchase of a health farm at Forest Mere in 1995. The Hotel de la Paix in Champery, Switzerland was purchased in 1996. In 2002, Henlow Grange suffered a fire however this was seen as an opportunity to undertake a multi-million pound transformation of the resort. To complete their spa portfolio, the Purdews acquired Champneys Tring, which with the Champneys name, led to the re-branding of all the resorts. The Champneys name originated from Ralph de Champneys who owned the Tring mansion in 1307. It was later opened as the UK’s first ever health farm in 1925 by naturopath Stanley Lieff, who pioneered the concept of holistic health and naturopathy.
Resorts
The chain has four resorts in the United Kingdom:
- Champneys Henlow Grange, Henlow, Bedfordshire
- Champneys Forest Mere, Liphook, Hampshire
- Champneys Springs, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire
- Champneys Tring, Wigginton, Hertfordshire
The company also owns the Hotel de la Paix, a ski hotel in Champéry, Switzerland.
Town and City Spas
In 2006, Champneys opened their first high street spa in Chichester. Champneys Town and City Spas have now opened in 6 other locations including Enfield, Guildford, Tunbridge Wells, St. Albans, Brighton and Bath.
The company also owns the Hotel de la Paix, a ski hotel in Champéry, Switzerland.
Champneys International College of Health & Beauty
Champneys International College of Health & Beauty, in the grounds of the Tring resort in Hertfordshire, was founded in 1976 and is recognised as a leader in the training of health and beauty, attracting students from across the country and all over the world offering a range of full-time and part-time courses. Many students go on to work in one of the four Champneys resorts or one of the Town and City Spas. For some courses, the college offers a guaranteed work placement after graduation.[citation needed]
External links
|
|||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
