Former Little Chef boss to boost Stoneleigh turnover
Ian Pegler, the new interim chief executive at Warwickshire's Stoneleigh Park, has told Insider that he is aiming to double the turnover of the site's events division over the next three years.
Pegler, who revamped the Little Chef brand with the help of Heston Blumenthal two years ago, said he wants to turn Stoneleigh Park into the nation’s number one events and conferences venue.
Pegler has been tasked with increasing the number of events at Stoneleigh.
He said: "The problem with the events side of the business was that it was still linked to the charity around the Royal Agricultural Show, which finished in 2009 and made huge losses.
"We set up a separate company called Stoneleigh Events, and my job is to get more events happening here. We have no bank debt and no borrowings. Our biggest issue is cash flow. Our turnover at the moment is £5m – I see no reason why that can’t be doubled over the next three years."
The 800-acre Stoneleigh Park complex plays host to the huge Pig and Poultry and Grassland and Muck agricultural shows – each the biggest of their kind in Europe. Pegler now wants to target more shows like these.
"A lot of months there is nothing going on here, and we need to change that," he said. "If you put on an exhibition it can take 18 months from start to finish, so we’re looking at the smaller side of the market initially; things like conferencing and banqueting. We also have two 4x4 tracks here that hardly get any use at all."
Pegler believes Stoneleigh Park is one of the "hidden gems" of the events world.
He said: "I’ve brought people down here and they’ve been gobsmacked; they never knew we had these facilities here. The beauty of this place is that we can be very flexible, and we’ve got an almost unique space."
Pegler featured on Channel Four documentary Big chef takes on Little Chef in 2009 with quirky cook Heston Blumenthal in a bid to overturn the fortune of the roadside diner chain, of which he was chief executive until last year.
Talking about his time turning around Little Chef, Peglar said he has great admiration for Blumenthal, the celebrity chef who was brought in to overhaul the menu.
"We had one spat, but you can’t help but like Heston," said Peglar. "He taught me a lot, and has got an amazing talent. One time I tried to put an improved chicken pie on the menu, and he didn’t want it.
"He said to me: 'Would you eat that at home if it was cooked for you?', and I had to admit that I wouldn’t. He taught me that just because something is better, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good enough."
