Ian Pegler to remain at Stoneleigh Park for another year

Pegler, who joined the business in Warwickshire, the former home of the Royal Show, a year ago in a temporary capacity, said he was ‘delighted’ with the board’s decision to allow him to remain. 

In the first nine months of his appointment, Pegler managed to turn a first quarter loss into a profit, with sales up 20 per cent and annual profits up nearly 10 times the previous year. 

He said: “Since I joined the business, there has been substantial investment in people, with the expansion of the marketing and sales functions. We hope that this will continue. We are also placing a strong emphasis on creating more strategic alliances in order to speed up the business growth.”

Business turn-around specialist Pegler, who was responsible for bringing Heston Blumenthal into Little Chef, said he would also be focusing on improving Stoneleigh's facilities to 'further diversify into new markets and sectors.'