National Leisure
National Leisure is a group of customer-focused swimming-pool retailers, contractors and engineers who aim to provide the highest-quality service to our customers. We are a national organisation with members covering most of the UK, and we’re expanding all the time.
As an influential buying group, we are also able to negotiate excellent deals with our suppliers.
Members of National Leisure do not compete against each other – even if they happen to be in the same geographical area. Instead, they co-operate to share knowledge and skills in a policy of continuous improvement. Your local National Leisure member will be among the best informed and professional pool retailers and contractors in the UK.
Highly Respected
National Leisure is different from most organisations. You can’t simply join us. Instead, we’re constantly on the lookout for pool retailers and contractors who we identify as adopting the aims and business practices that we value. Companies who fulfil these criteria can then be invited to join the group.
As a result, our group is highly regarded in the UK pool trade, and staff from member companies take an active part in helping to promote the industry and maintaining its standards. The managing director of one of our member companies is currently (2005) the president of the UK pool industry’s trade association, the British Swimming Pool Federation (BSPF).
Our suppliers
We don’t just expect our members to have high standards though. Our suppliers, too, must demonstrate a strong commitment to quality and excellent customer service.
National Leisure maintains a list of approved suppliers who we believe will provide the standards you expect and deserve.
History
National Leisure was formed in 1989 by a small group of forward-thinking pool retailers and contractors who recognised the need to combine together to provide an effective buying group that could exchange information and provide economies of scale when negotiating with suppliers.
Sixteen years on, National Leisure has 25 members spread around England and Wales. We anticipate that more members will join the group in the next twelve to eighteen months, complementing the already strong organisation and filling in some geographical gaps around the country.
The National Leisure advantage
Having a swimming pool built is probably the biggest financial decision you’ll ever take – other than buying a house – so you’ll want to make sure you get it absolutely right first time.
At National Leisure, we don’t try to sell you a particular swimming pool. Instead, we want to help you decide which type of pool will be best for your needs and those of your family. After that, we can introduce you to some of the most professional and knowledgeable pool and spa companies in the country.
If you commission a member of National Leisure to build your pool, you can relax in the knowledge that it will be designed and constructed by some of the country’s most experienced pool retailers and contractors in accordance with current industry standards, and that only the highest-quality materials will be used.
Industry standards
Swimming poolsConstructing swimming pools is a highly skilled business, and safety and quality are paramount. Two main organisations create and police pool and spa standards in the UK.
The vast majority of National Leisure members are affiliated to SPATA (Swimming Pool and Allied Trades Association), the UK body which creates and maintains standards for swimming-pool construction. SPATA is part of the British Swimming Pool Federation (BSPF), the umbrella organisation which represents the overall pool trade in the UK and which works to promote swimming pools to consumers.
Spas and hot tubs
Members of National Leisure who sell hot-tubs and spas are also affiliated to BISHTA (British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Association), which is also part of the BSPF. BISHTA is the industry watchdog for hot-tub and spa care.
The BISHTA sign in a retail showroom or at an exhibition signifies that the company’s staff have completed the BISHTA training programme. This is your guarantee that they have been trained in basic principles of water hygiene and in daily test and care routines, and that they are qualified to advise you on how to look after your hot tub or spa.
