Harbottle replaces Crabtree at Atmosphere
David Crabtree has stepped down as chief executive of Atmosphere Bar and Clubs.
He is to be replaced by former JD Wetherspoon chief operating officer Paul Harbottle.
Crabtree was chief executive of predecessor company 3D Entertainment for a number of years.
Atmosphere was set up by Sun Capital when it acquired the lion's share of 3D Entertainment (3DE) in February 2010.
The American private equity firm bought around 30 sites in a deal valued at about £10m — Zolfo Cooper handled the process.
The 3DE business, which operates the Chicago Rock Café brand, was 49% owned by Luminar, Britain's biggest nightclub group, 30% owned by management and 21% owned by Prestbury, the property firm.
The Sun Capital transaction saw bank debt outstanding to HBoS paid in full.
Ironically, the disposal to Sun Capital saw a separate transaction that involved about 12 sites sold to JD Wetherspoon. It left a handful of sites — about five or six — without a buyer.
The deal represented the first step into the UK leisure market for Sun, a specialist group specialising in distressed situations.
It targets companies with Eu30m to Eu3bn in sales and has a broad pan-business focus. Most recently it has invested in SCS, the furniture retailer in 2008 and also has interests in Lee Cooper jeans, Bundy Refrigeration and the Home Form Group, the fitted kitchen and bedroom supplier.
Atmosphere Bars and Club is not due to file accounts at Companies House for its first full year of trading until November 2011.
Harbottle left the board of JD Wetherspoon in October last year after a rumoured falling out with founder Tim Martin that also saw finance director Keith Downs leave.
