Hamptons Still Losing Money
It’ll come as no surprise that the latest micro accounts for Hamptons Sports And Leisure Ltd (HSL), doesn’t really show any improvement in the viability of the business.
You can view the micro accounts here.
Members of the Muslim community, continue to have concerns about the safety and performance of the £2.35 million social investment they made when CMS purchased Hamptons.
“A thriving sports and leisure facility”
How we laughed, when we saw this phrase used in a letter from the Hamptons management to the Squash section. Plans to close one of the Squash courts haven’t been well received, and it would kill off one of the few stable revenue streams that the club has.
If you take a closer look at the micro accounts, it does show a slight improvement in the retained earnings, which are a good indication of the operating profit or loss of the business. The figures in brackets indicate a negative or a loss, and the figure of (449,515) is a cumulative loss since CMS took over in 2020.
Well that all looks great !!! But wait, remember this ?
If you take out the 96k windfall from their mates at the city council, it reveals that HSL really lost an additional £32,317.61, that’s a loss of £673 per week.
WHY HSL continues to lose money
The biggest issue is that the religious use makes a huge loss. We’ve noted that in the CMS charity accounts, they claim to be paying HSL for “venue hire”.
Taken from the latest CMS charity return.
We’re not convinced the payments don’t just get transferred back and forth between the multiple accounts that CMS operate, but based on 60 hours of religious use a week (it’s probably higher), the £27,702 listed as “Hamptons Hire” in the CMS charity accounts, works out at just £8.87 per hour. Quite frankly that wouldn’t even cover having the lights on, let alone the heating.
The use of social media to promote the business is non existent. But then again the focus of the venue is it’s religious activities, and there’s little else to promote.
It’s vital to increase the footfall, and get people through the doors. But let’s be honest, people don’t want to party at a mosque.
The Hamptons new website is just awful. It spent months and months being redone, and the new incarnation isn’t a lot better. Here are our favourite pages:
You have to wonder how HSL expect to attract wedding bookings, when the website shows food served in plastic boxes and the tin hut.
And just marvel at the glamour of room 6 as a wedding venue, holding just 60 guests, but let’s be honest, no bars=no weddings. And remember that you can’t use the cynically named Marconi Hall at the weekend, the madrassah use it, and any bookings have to comply with the centre’s values and ethos. Sounds like a welcoming and fun place.
How very inclusive.
And finally, why upload a page titled “fitness activities”, listing no actual fitness activities.
As the cost of living crisis enters it’s third year, and the Hamptons Mosque continues to be a PR disaster, it’s no wonder members of the Muslim community are asking questions to the company directors.