Marketing strategy - making the pier stand out from the crowd

The fire at the pier at Weston-Super-Mare might put you off buying a seaside attraction. But not Stephen Bournes…

A great little article in the Telegraph this week about the entrepreneur who bought Southwold Pier.

Leisure industry experience and substantial personal sources of finance meant that Stephen Bournes was able to move quickly to buy Southwold Pier when it was put up for sale in 2005. It sounds like the bank was prepared to back him as well.

The article has some good basic business studies examples, including:

- A clear business plan
- A focus on moving the entertainment offered by the pier upmarket
- The importance of investment in facilities and capacity in order to grow (you don’t get the sense that the pier has been a cash cow since Bournes bought it)
- Investment in training + employing staff on a full-time basis during the season
- A strategy for dealing with seasonal demand (to address the substantial losss during the winter)

Here is the Southwold Pier website so you can see for yourself.