Press Releases
Below is a selection of Bournecoast press releases that have appeared in Local and National Press. If you would like further information about any of our press releases or would like us to write a press release for your publication please email us (info@bournecoast.co.uk).
August 2007: Bournemouth - Much More Than Sand Castles and Deck Chairs
To many Bournemouth is still seen as the typical British beach resort offering families the perfect chance to enjoy the area’s golden beaches with an ice cream or two whilst staying in one of the area’s wide selection of hotels. The internet revolution though has brought about the opportunity for consumers to make more of their own choices when selecting parts of their holiday such as their accommodation, activities and meals. One part of the tourism industry in Bournemouth that is seeing noticeable growth is the area’s self-catering market as visitors seek the freedom to eat when and where they want and benefit from a diverse range of accommodation to suit a variety of requirements.
In Bournemouth there are over 300 self-catering properties which can be booked for a long weekend or a weekend break and a quick search on the internet will uncover a selection of properties that suit all tastes and budgets. The modern holiday visitor seeks a home-from-home feel which the self-catering product in Bournemouth offers in abundance. Bournemouth is growing as the new self-catering holiday destination with properties often supplying luxuries such as plasma TV’s, hot tubs, swimming pools, saunas, sea views and easy access to the seafront. Combine this with the tourism development in Bournemouth including the Boscombe Artificial Surf Reef, the first of it’s kind in Europe, which is just walking distance from many of the areas holiday properties, and you have the reason why so many people are now choosing Bournemouth for their family holiday.
Situated only 2 ½ hrs drive (the time usually taken to drive to the airport and check in) from Birmingham and London, Bournemouth presents itself as a destination that is conveniently only a short drive for many, and brings with it more benefits than most European destinations. The growth of Bournemouth International Airport has not only encouraged inbound travel from around the UK but also from around Europe, all taking advantage of the low cost flights many of the airlines now offer.
Set in one of the most beautiful parts of southern England, Bournemouth and Poole are justly famous for their seven miles of golden sandy beaches, awarded Blue Flag status meaning they are internationally recognised to be of the highest standard, but there is so much more to the area than the beach. Bournemouth itself now has many identities and whilst supplying the traditional sand castle and deck chair resort, it now provides a host of award-winning restaurants, bars, clubs, theatres, museums and cinemas, as well as countless attractions and places of interest. All of which are located in an area that enjoys the UK’s best weather and warmest temperatures.
With its ponies, protected natural beauty and thousand years of history, the New Forest is Bournemouth’s back yard and for those of you of a literary bent, Thomas Hardy country is just a few miles away (Bournemouth being Hardy’s Sandbourne). Add to that the National Trust sanctuary of Poole’s Brownsea Island and the historic charms of Christchurch with its famous Priory and you can begin to see why more and more people are selecting Bournemouth as the perfect resort to spend their holiday and all can be arranged and booked online with just a few clicks of your mouse.
March 2007: Keith Simmons MBE - Retirement
It was a sad week for most at Bournecoast’s offices in Southbourne this week except for Keith Simmons MBE and Managing Director of Bournecoast who was busy shining his golf clubs in preparation for his retirement next week after 26 years of running the company. In 1981 Keith Simmons MBE bought the property company from his father-in-law Major William Web, who established the company in 1960. Originally set up as a holiday let agency Keith’s drive and ambition quickly saw the company establish a successful residential lettings business, and then develop into a Property Agency including Estate Agency. Keith is now leaving Bournecoast in its best period of business since it was established.
Keith’s three children, Des Simmons, Anita Smith & Veronica Strongman, who have been managing the company alongside their father since the late 90’s will continue to manage Bournecoast. Anita Smith & Veronica Strongman commented “It’s going to be sad not to have Dad around, but he’s worked so hard to get the company to where it is today he deserves to start taking it easy and to enjoy his retirement to the fullest”.
Des Simmons continued “We are all so proud of Dad and his achievements, not only with Bournecoast but also with his work on renovating the Bournemouth Deaf Centre. His hard work helped the local deaf community so much that it resulted in Dad being recognised as the Volunteer of the Year by the Mayor of Bournemouth in May 1996 and awarded an MBE in the 2000 New Years Honours list by the Queen. He will be sorely missed by us all and the staff are commenting about the void dad will leave. Although we have bought on new staff to help us with the additional work load and he has trained us all well, it is his smile and sense of humour that we will all miss. We aim to continue his philosophy that good service and looking after the company’s clients is the most important aspect of running a business”.
Keith Simmons MBE said “Not many people have the privilege of working with their family members, so to work with all three of my children and their spouses on a daily basis has been a joy and a part of daily life I’ll miss. I leave Bournecoast in more than capable hands and commend the hard work that is conducted day in, day out by Des, Anita, Veronica and the Bournecoast team. I very much look forward to taking a step back and seeing the company grow and develop even further over the coming years. I also want to thank all the Bournecoast clients that have stayed with Bournecoast since I took over in 1981 and who will continue to benefit from the services the company offers long after I retire”.
February 2007: Landlords Benefiting from Bournecoast
The buy to let market is said to be in the top ten of fastest growing UK markets and investment in this area’s is set to boom with the number of buy-to-let tenancies forecasted to grow by 20,000-30,000 annually over the next ten years, allowing landlords to position themselves to meet demand. Lee Hill Marketing Manager at Bournecoast Property Agents Said ‘We have already seen an increase in demand for residential and holiday properties with our lettings team successfully letting out the majority of their stock and holiday bookings being up 14% on last year. Our Landlords are benefiting tremendously, especially those with fully furnished holiday lets as they benefit from the premium income achieved through the holiday season and also the additional tax benefits associated with this type of letting, whilst still benefit from us securing them winter lets after the summer.’
Bournecoast currently manages over 300 properties and is a family and Christian operated company with over 45 years experience of putting its client’s first and gaining them a great return on their investment. If you are thinking of letting your property and would like to benefit from the premium income to be earned through furnished holiday lets and would like some free, impartial advice or an analysis of the return you can expect contact Bournecoast today on 01202 437888 or visit http://www.bournecoast.co.uk.
October 2006: Winners and Nominees Celebrate in Style
The Bournecoast 2006 Dorset Tourism Awards was the best yet according to revellers who soaked up the fantastic atmosphere and famous Rat Pack hits at the Landmarc on Tuesday evening. Organisations from across the tourism industry attended this annual event along with representatives from Christchurch, Poole and Bournemouth tourism and the Mayor and Mayoress of Christchurch. Votes were received from the thousands of holiday visitors who stayed in the self-catering holiday apartments around Dorset managed by Bournecoast Holidays on behalf of property owners. This year’s winners included Snowtrax, Oceanarium, the 2CR FM Fireworks, Compton Acres, Bournemouth Eye, Monkey World, Adventure Wonderland, Farmer Palmers, Coriander, Prezzos, West Beach Restaurant, Fire FM, Wave FM & 2CR FM. Des Simmons, Director of Bournecoast said “This year’s event was a great night for all who were nominated and it was nice for us to show how much we appreciate their contribution towards tourism in the region by rewarding the winners with one of our tourism awards. We would also like to thank the evening’s sponsors as without their support we would not have been able to put on such a great event, including Smart Recruitment, Live Med Coast, Appius International, TJB Cleaning Services and Princecroft Willis”.
Lee Hill, Marketing Manager at Bournecoast commented “This annual event was started by Bournecoast Holidays to reward the tourism industry for their hard work and effort which makes the area such a wonderful tourist destination. It is this recognition by Bournecoast that encourages the tourism industry to continually monitor the services they provide and looking at ways of improving them”.
August 2006: Record Enquiries
In today’s competitive marketplace the housing market is like any other in the fact that high marketing spend results in increased enquiries and sales, with this in mind Bournecoast are seeing the fruits of their labour and have this week reported record enquiries following the initial launch of their summer advertising campaign. With the company going through a high growth phase and major re-brand which will be completed early September Bournecoast took steps earlier this year to develop a major advertising campaign using a range of traditional and modern media which includes buses, radio, newspapers, property boards, magazines & online advertising. The result after a week is that the company has more than doubled the enquiries it normally receives from new clients which includes potential tenants, home buyers, landlords and people looking to sell their property.
Lee Hill Bournecoast Marketing Manager Said “We expected the campaign to be successful but truthfully the response has been phenomenal and has seen a hive of activity throughout the company with stock levels coming and going much quicker. Combined with us having an advert going up on five bill board sites in early September we hope this trend continues”. With this added focus on marketing the company forecasts a considerable growth within their Estate Agency, Letting Agency and Holiday Agency.
May 2006: Self-Catering Tourism Increasing in Bournemouth
Bournecoast, Bournemouth’s only complete property agents with a dedicated Estate Agency, Letting Agency and Holiday Agency, has announced this week that the self-catering tourism market within the area has seen a considerable increase over the last few years. Bournecoast, Bournemouth’s largest provider of self-catering accommodation, has announced record enquiries and bookings this year and expects the trend to continue.
Lee Hill, Bournecoast’s Marketing Manager, said “Our research illustrates that more people are holidaying in the UK than ever before due to the convenience and cost. Increasingly people are also opting for self-catering apartments as it gives them the feeling of having greater independence because they can come and go as they please, eat when and what they want and select from a larger range of accommodation that meets their particular requirements. Choice is the key and our extensive portfolio is ensuring that our holiday visitors are being spoilt”.
Des Simmons, Director of Bournecoast, added “Our Landlord’s are benefiting from this increase in demand and due to the increased revenue generated from holiday accommodation compared to residential accommodation, holiday letting is something that all property owners should consider. Many property investors just don’t realise how simple it is to take advantage of the Inland Revenue tax reliefs on furnished holiday letting, especially if any hassle is taken away by using a Holiday Agency”.
October 2005: A Flexible Friend
The requirement for short term, flexible contracts is more and more common in the current letting market. Flexible lets are required by people such as those between house moves or professionals in the area for short term contract work and are unable to commit to a specific length contract. The problem they find is that it is increasingly difficult to find letting agents that are able to offer such flexibility in a tenancy.
Bournecoast Residential in Southbourne are able to work together with Bournecoast Holidays to offer a solution. Furnished holiday properties are able to offer short term tenancies during the winter months, to a maximum of eight months. The difference with these contracts is that they also allow the flexibility required whereby after the second month it is possible to give one months written notice with no penalty. This gives people the security of knowing they have a roof over their heads, but if things move quicker than expected, they have an opt out clause, only tying them in to 3 months.
“We have had some extremely positive feedback from clients such as local house purchasers, company H R Departments and trainee Pilots who have taken advantage of these types of contracts. As unique short term contracts they allow us to offer accommodation from one week to 8 months. With the current availability offering tenants many wonderful locations, at very reasonable cost, we feel that we are in the enviable position of being able to say we have something for everyone” stated Des Simmons, Director of Bournecoast Ltd.
May 2005: Nationwide Tour in Plea to Save Victims from 'Failing' Criminal Justice System
The Victims of Crime Trust will continue its nationwide tour in Southbourne, Bournemouth on Tuesday 24th May in a plea for more resources for crime victims. Taking in every major city in Britain, the tour is in support of a phone petition launched in March designed to highlight just how badly the Criminal Justice System is failing victims, as well as to provide practical support for them by raising three million pounds.
‘This Government is masking the alarming truth about crime in this country,’ said Norman Brennan, Director of the Victims of Crime Trust. ‘Homicide has reached an average of 1,000 per year over the past five years. In the same period, recorded incidents of violence against the person are up 90% from 502,788 to 955,752. An average of 423 firearms offences are committed each week in England and Wales; and there were 11,700 rapes recorded by the police last year - although Home Office research indicates the true figure could be as high as 47,000. Surely, this begs the question, how bad does it have to get before the Government finally acts?’
The Trust is supported by a large number of families of homicide victims who they will meet during their tour, including Denise Fergus, mother of James Bulger (Liverpool), Victor Bates who’s wife Marion was shot dead (Nottingham), Jayne and Paul Walmsley, parents of murdered 14 year old schoolboy Luke (Lincoln), and June Richardson, the mother of Martin Brown, murdered by Mary Bell (Newcastle).
The tour will be visiting Southbourne where Norman Brennan will be giving a press statement whilst meeting families bereaved through homicide, such as John Berry, whose son was murdered by being thrown into the river, 9th June 2004 and; Robert Hussey, whose daughter Natalie was murdered by her husband. The petition is supported by Bournecoast Ltd., a local Southbourne business committed to helping this Trust establish this important Resource Centre. Keith Simmons, Director of Bournecoast Ltd, urged local residents and businesses to back this unique and challenging project by pledging their total support. He adds, “We are so lucky to live here. Having personally witnessed, the major transformations families bereaved through homicide can achieve from respite breaks spent in Southbourne and Bournemouth - away from the painful memories and traumatised community where such murders took place - I know how essential and beneficial this Resource Centre’ will be to everyone”.
The launch began at Charing Cross railway station at 10am on 13th April 2005 with the support of Sara Payne, mother of murdered schoolgirl,Sarah Payne and; Antoinette Rodney, mother of teenager Keiran Rodney-Davis, stabbed to death in Fulham, London for his baseball cap.
November 2004: Bournecoast Tourism Awards
The 2004 Bournecoast Annual Award Ceremony was again a phenomenal success with all sectors of the local tourism industry coming together to celebrate another successful Summer Season in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch. Rubyz headlined the evening with Dame Kitty giving everyone a night to remember with her wit and humour. Sue Spittle (the Mayor of Christchurch), Mark Smith (Head of Bournemouth Tourism), Jane Suttie (2CR FM) and Keith Simmons MBE (Managing Director of Bournecoast Ltd) all attended the evening in order to present the awards to the winners of each category.
Mark Smith acknowledged the success of the evening and the important part that Bournecoast play in bringing over 7000 tourists into the local area, which is one in twenty of all the self-catering tourists that visit. He also thanked all the tourist attractions and restaurants for their help in making the area such a popular holiday destination.
"Everyone is coming to realise the importance of the tourism industry working together as a whole" said Des Simmons, Director of Bournecoast Ltd. "Events like the Bournecoast Awards Ceremony give Bournemouth tourism, the accommodation providers such as Bournecoast, the tourist attractions and the restaurants a chance to meet and network, which can only be a positive thing for the tourism in the area" he added.
May 2004: Tax Relief on Investment Properties
Bournecoast have the solution for taking advantage of INLAND REVENUE TAX RELIEFS on investment properties. The requirements set by the Inland Revenue are that a letting is regarded as a furnished holiday letting and the property must meet the following qualifying tests (Sections 503-504 Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 as amended by later Finance Acts (FA))
The property must a) be furnished; b) be made available for holiday letting to the public on a commercial basis for a minimum of 140 days during the year; c)be booked for a minimum of 70 days; d)NOT be occupied by the same person for more than 31 days (not necessarily consecutively) in any period of 7 months.
The benefits include entitlement to machinery and plant capital allowances on furniture, furnishings, etc in the let property, as well as on machinery and plant used outside the property (such as vans and tools). Also losses can be set against your total income and are not restricted to the rental business. Furnished holiday lettings are treated like trade for loss purposes and get the same loss reliefs as trades. If your losses exceed your income you can also choose to set your losses against your capital gains – see your professional adviser or tax office for further details.
The main benefit of treating your property investment as a furnished holiday property is that you may be able to take advantage of Capital gains tax reliefs such as business asset roll-over relief and taper relief. Des Simmons, Director of Bournecoast Ltd, said that “many out-of-town investors are now taking advantage of investing in properties in the area and using Bournecoast to let them out as furnished holiday accommodation, so they can use the property as their own holiday home for parts of the year and take advantage of the tax benefits”. With Bournecoast’s nearly 45 years of experience as a holiday letting agency it makes it very easy for such investors to be able to run furnished holiday accommodation without the hassle.
Steven Strongman, Bournecoast’s Property Sales Manager has noticed a considerable increase in Sales from these out-of-town investors and local property entrepreneurs who look for properties to buy with no lease restrictions on renting. Steven said “these buyers are looking for good quality properties, near the seafront, and they usually have their funds in place ready for a quick sale”.
March 2004: Bournemouth's 24 Hour Society
The trend to obtaining information or services when they are required rather than just during office hours has dominated our society over the last decade. Witness the round the clock opening of supermarkets, information always available on the internet and 24-hour television stations. Now Bournecoast is bringing the same ease of access to information and interactivity to the buying, selling and letting of houses to Bournemouth. Home seekers checking Bournecoast’s window in Southbourne Grove will be able to hear information around the clock from a “talking window” and then request a trained negotiator to contact them as soon as the office is open.
Every set of property details displayed in the window has a three digit number attached to it. Home hunters simply tap that number onto a pad through Bournecoast’s window to hear a message telling them more about that individual property. The message can include not only the facts, like how many bedrooms, but also the “feel” of the property and what makes it special – its lovely decking or the closeness of local schools for example. The listener is then invited into the estate agent's office or, if the office is closed, invited to leave a phone number where they can be contacted later. Then a trained negotiator calls the interested party back the following day to discuss their requirements.
The Windowtalk system has already proved a big hit with landlords and sellers with many stating it was a deciding factor when choosing which estate agent to list their property with. Bournecoast’s managing director Keith Simmons MBE said: “Windowtalk gives people the information they want when they want it – not just when we tell them they can have it and fits in with our 24 hour/seven day a week society. Mr Simmons added that "Bournecoast was moving aggressively into supplying the buy-to-let market and felt Windowtalk would speed the company’s growth in the sector. People considering buying property to rent as an investment are by their nature busy people – that is normally how they earned the money they intend to invest in the first place. Our availability to offer them information when they want it will suit their lifestyle and be a major asset. It will also stand us apart from our competition as we are the only estate agent in this area who can operate the Windowtalk system. We are a well established local business with a first class reputation and I am confident that Windowtalk is going to help us serve all our clients even better in the future.”
Feb 2004: Bournecoast expands estate agency
With 40 years local experience in self-catering holiday accommodation and long-term letting, Bournecoast of Southbourne have become one of Bournemouths’ leading advisors in regard to Investment properties. The increase in demand from investors to buy in seaside towns is due largely to television programmes such as the BBC’s ’Relocation, Relocation’. With the year on year growth of holiday visitors to Bournemouth using Bournecoast for their accommodation requirements, Bournecoast have received both local and national enquiries from investors looking to buy in Bournemouth. Selling properties for existing clients into an exclusive investor database over the last year, has been so successful that Bournecoast has expanded its’ Estate Agency department, seeking new properties suitable for investments.
‘With ten years sales experience, the appointment of Steven Strongman to head the property sales department is an exciting prospect for the future of Bournecoast, as we strive to offer a more comprehensive property solution service’ reports Managing Director, Keith Simmons MBE.
Steven Strongman said ‘...we intend to bring a new lease of life to estate agency and our first step will be introducing the unique service of ‘Window Talk’ which is exclusive to our area, selling your home 24 hours a day seven days a week’.
Properties are selling so quickly to investors, that Bournecoast are eager to increase their property portfolio. If you are looking to sell and would like to use a professional estate agency based on friendly service, integrity and honesty, Bournecoast will be happy to help.
