Duke Street slams Esporta

VENTURE capitalist Duke Street Capital today fired a further volley in its £133m hostile takeover battle for health clubs group Esporta. Duke Street described its target as 'accident prone', claiming the new management team had provided no evidence that it has a sustainable recovery programme. It also accused the company of being cynically selective in the figures it used to defend its record.

For the first five months of the year, despite doubling its marketing spend and waiving joining fees, the company had only managed a modest growth in membership, it said. Duke Street has a fortnight to increase its 80p-a-share offer.

The process will be closely watched by Cinven, which the London Evening Standard's Business Day section yesterday revealed was in talks for a management buyout at rival operator Holmes Place.