Case Studies
Measured improvement, delivered on site.
Representative examples of AJS assignments. Figures are indicative of the improvement delivered during the engagement window.
Holiday Parks
Holiday park improving guest satisfaction and reducing operating costs
Challenge
A 300-pitch UK holiday park was losing owners and holiday guests to nearby competitors. Review scores had fallen, maintenance was reactive and seasonal labour costs were running well above budget.
Action
Deployed as interim general manager within eight days. Rebuilt the departmental structure, introduced a weekly KPI pack, moved maintenance to a planned programme and renegotiated three key supplier contracts.
Result
Guest satisfaction recovered to the strongest position in four seasons while operating costs fell, with the improvements handed over to a permanent general manager after seven months.
- Guest satisfaction
- +22%
- Operating costs
- -14%
- Owner retention
- +9%
Guest satisfaction score by quarter
Business Centres
Business centre increasing occupancy and improving customer retention
Challenge
A regional business centre operator had drifting occupancy, inconsistent tenant service and no reliable pipeline reporting across three buildings.
Action
Interim operations director engaged for six months. Introduced a single enquiry-to-licence process, retrained the front-of-house teams, restructured pricing and created a renewal programme owned by named managers.
Result
Occupancy climbed steadily across all three sites and churn fell sharply, supporting a materially stronger valuation at refinance.
- Occupancy
- +18pts
- Tenant churn
- -31%
- Revenue per sq ft
- +12%
Portfolio occupancy by quarter
Retail
Retail business reducing labour costs while improving service
Challenge
A 24-store retail chain was carrying labour costs three points above plan while mystery shop scores were falling — a classic sign of hours in the wrong places.
Action
Rebuilt the labour model around trading patterns, introduced an area management rhythm, simplified back-office tasks and coached store managers on shift leadership.
Result
Labour cost as a percentage of sales fell below plan without reducing headcount hours at peak, and service scores rose across the estate.
- Labour cost %
- -3.4pts
- Mystery shop
- +16%
- Conversion
- +7%
Labour cost as % of sales by quarter
Hospitality
Restaurant group improving profitability across multiple locations
Challenge
A nine-site restaurant group had inconsistent gross margin, weak stock control and no meaningful weekly reporting to hold sites accountable.
Action
Interim operations director introduced standard recipes and portion control, weekly stock counts, a single P&L pack and a fortnightly performance review with each general manager.
Result
EBITDA margin improved across the estate within two quarters, with the reporting rhythm retained by the permanent team after handover.
- EBITDA margin
- +5.1pts
- Food GP
- +4.2pts
- Stock loss
- -38%
EBITDA margin by quarter
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