Name

Leisure People

Legal name

Leisure People

Website

https://leisurepeople.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cobham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Contingency Recruitment Services: Placement-based recruitment services for permanent positions in leisure, hospitality, health & fitness, and spa sectors. The company places senior management and key operational hires for clients, likely on a contingency fee basis (success fee upon placement).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Leisure People is a UK specialist recruitment consultancy that provides executive search and permanent placement services for senior management and key operational hires within the leisure, hospitality, health & fitness, and spa & wellness sectors. The firm operates a dedicated job board across five disciplines (Health & Fitness, Commercial Leisure, Spa & Wellness, Hospitality, and Corporate Services) and engages clients via long-standing exclusive partnerships with major operators such as David Lloyd Leisure, Village Leisure Clubs, and The Club Company.

Product overview

Leisure People operates as a specialized recruitment agency for the leisure, hospitality, health & fitness, spa, and wellness sectors in the UK. Founded in 1997, the company offers a job board platform where employers post vacancies across disciplines including Health & Fitness, Commercial Leisure, Spa & Wellness, Hospitality, and Corporate Services. The service connects employers with candidates and provides industry insights through a blog covering market trends. The company also maintains strategic partnerships with major sector operators including David Lloyd Leisure, Village Leisure Clubs, and The Club Company. This is a service-based recruitment business rather than a software platform with discrete digital products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search and Permanent Recruitment Specialist executive search and permanent placement of senior management and key operational hires (e.g., General Managers, Club Managers, Operations Directors, Head of Finance, Head of Leisure, F&B Managers, Spa Therapists) for UK leisure, hospitality, health & fitness, spa & wellness operators, delivered through direct consultant engagement on a placement-fee basis.
• Online Job Board Platform Self-serve web-based job board spanning five disciplines — Health & Fitness, Commercial Leisure, Spa & Wellness, Hospitality, and Corporate Services — where employers advertise vacancies and candidates search and apply for live roles. Includes candidate self-registration and LinkedIn login integration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully placed 5 senior roles for Hampshire Cultural Trust at pace
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• David Lloyd LeisureflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive recruitment partnership since 2006 for all club-level recruitment. Described as a 20-year relationship with exceptional service levels, integrity, and professionalism. The partnership involves exclusive retained search for senior management positions across David Lloyd's UK club network.
• Village Leisure ClubsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive recruitment partnership since 2008. Leisure People has been instrumental in supporting Village Leisure Clubs throughout the UK, with consistent ability to quickly identify and introduce top-performing candidates.
• The Club CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership established in 2012. Leisure People provides a broad depth of candidates from various industries, matching candidate skillsets to roles rather than simply industry experience. Has successfully placed candidates for numerous senior positions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Spabreaks.com: UK spa booking platform that connects consumers with spa venues — operates in Leisure People's spa client vertical and signals sector trends in spa hiring demand, though not a recruitment competitor.

Direct peers

• COREcruitment International: UK-based specialist hospitality, leisure, and retail recruitment firm operating globally with offices in London, New York, and Dubai. Closest direct competitor — same vertical specialization in hospitality and leisure, similar senior search offering, and overlapping enterprise clients.
• Berkeley Scott: UK specialist hospitality and catering recruitment firm with permanent and temporary divisions. Competes head-to-head for hospitality F&B and management placements across hotels, clubs, and restaurants — overlapping with Leisure People's hospitality vertical.
• Caterer.com: UK hospitality job board and recruitment platform connecting candidates with hotel, restaurant, and catering employers. Overlaps with Leisure People on hospitality talent pool access and employer branding, though operates more as a job platform than search consultancy.
• Hospitality Search International: UK-based executive search firm specializing in senior hospitality appointments across hotels, restaurants, and leisure. Comparable executive-search positioning and sector focus, particularly for general manager and senior operational roles.
• New England Associates: UK executive search firm focused on hospitality, leisure, and travel sectors. Similar specialist positioning to Leisure People with comparable senior placement focus and UK-centric operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Hays UK: Large global recruitment group with UK coverage across hospitality and leisure specialisms. Competes via scale, brand, and cross-sector reach — relevant comparator for enterprise clients evaluating generalist vs specialist search.
• Michael Page UK: Global generalist recruitment firm with a dedicated leisure & hospitality practice in the UK. Competes for mid-to-senior placements via larger brand reach and broader candidate database, but lacks Leisure People's deep vertical specialization.
• Robert Walters UK: Global professional recruitment firm with a strong UK hospitality, leisure, and retail practice. Overlaps with Leisure People on senior hospitality and leisure mandates but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple sectors.

Emerging players

• Lemonade Jobs: Hospitality-focused job platform and recruitment service operating in the UK and Ireland. Partial overlap on hospitality talent acquisition with a more digital, platform-led model — useful comparator for assessing channel evolution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Leisure_People
• Facebookfacebook.com/Leisurepeople

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leisure People