Doorman meets and greets growth

Mar 19 2008 by Peter McCusker, The Journal

A COMPANY which provides door security for pubs and clubs has unveiled plans to become one of the largest in the UK as it looks to make its first acquisition, just months after branching into CCTV surveillance.

Newcastle company Phoenix Security was launched in 2000 by nightclub doorman Steve Howe and now turns over £5.5m, providing door supervisors for bars and clubs across the North East and with contracts for venues in Yorkshire and Scotland.

Phoenix is now on the acquisition trail. Mr Howe said: “We are currently in talks with a company from outside the region.

“This will further increase our profile. The venues we currently operate outside the North East are a result of contracts with the venue’s operators. This will be the first time we have acquired a company from outside the region and this is a strategy we intend to pursue.”

He would not name the company, but said Phoenix was on the lookout for potential takeover targets in the North East.

On the back of the expansion plans the company hopes almost to double its turnover to £10m by the end of 2009.

Howe, who still does door supervisor shifts at the weekends in Newcastle city centre, said: “We are very good at what we do and we plan to grow our business. There is no reason why we cannot become one of the biggest operators in the UK.”

The developments come months after the company spent a six-figure sum developing Phoenix Eye, a distinct element of the Phoenix brand, which it is in the process of extending across the region.

Phoenix, which has a CCTV control centre at its new Killingworth headquarters, has contracts with businesses including Newcastle Racecourse and Sita for camera surveillance, backed up by mobile patrol support.

Finance director Neill Winch said: “We looked at the market for CCTV, remote monitoring and lone man working and Phoenix Eye is the ideal product for these fields. This is a growing market and we are looking to expand this service across the region.”

Howe, who started working as a doorman at the age of 17 and is a judo black belt, is keen to stress that all the 700 staff at his disposal are accredited by the industry regulatory body.

He said: “This is now a meet and greet industry. We are not bouncers. The industry has moved on massively over the last 20 years.”

Phoenix Security’s clients include most of Tyneside’s premier hotels, many of its leading bars and clubs, including the national chains JD Wetherspoon, Luminar and Mitchells & Butlers.