Burns takes charge of Chill Factore
Leisure industry specialist David Burns has been named as chief executive of Manchester's new £31m ski and leisure venue Chill Factore.
Burns was most recently director of leisure for property tycoon Trevor Hemmings, and chief executive of cruise and escorted travel specialist Page & Moy, ahead of the company's recent successful sale as part of the Travelsphere Group.
Co-founder David Sterland becomes managing director of the new development division, which will concentrate on rolling out the Alpine village concept initially in the UK.
Sterland said: "The first six weeks of Chill Factore were phenomenally busy. We were confident that we would have large numbers of experienced skiers and snowboarders coming along to test the slope, but we were delighted at the number of first time skiers who booked our taster sessions to get their first feel of the snow.
"As regards expansion, we have several sites in mind but we are keeping an open mind about all opportunities at the moment, looking at both the potential for new centres like Chill Factore in Manchester or for developing an existing facility. But the enthusiasm for the concept of Chill Factore is huge, so we are extremely excited about the future."
