A NEW management team is steering an Ipswich nightclub into the future.In the past Kartouche has been blighted by bad publicity and rumours of possible closure but staff at the venue are now ready to leave them firmly in the past.

A NEW management team is steering an Ipswich nightclub into the future.

In the past Kartouche has been blighted by bad publicity and rumours of possible closure but staff at the venue are now ready to leave them firmly in the past.

Business at the Princes Street venue is on the up and staff believe it can only get better from now on.

Georgie Smith, who took over as manager last month is confident that the changes planned for the club's programme of nights will be the first step in better fortunes.

"My main aim is to get the clientele back through the doors," she said. "We've had a slow period due to accusations and rumours but numbers are picking up. We've got double the amount of people coming through our doors than before Christmas and we're continuing to grow bigger and bigger."

"We're planning huge changes as regards our nights," she continued.

"It's the norm in Ipswich for Fridays to be garage nights and Saturdays house. That means all the clubs are fighting for the same crowd.

"We're slowly coming away from that routine to give people more of a choice.

"We're bringing in old skool and funky house. Garage will always be here but it's not just about that anymore."

"And we're bringing back big PAs," she added, highlighting that a number of big name DJs and celebrities are being lined up to appear at the club, starting with Hollyoaks and Footballer's Wives star, Gary Lucy, on Saturday.

Georgie, who came to Ipswich when she was manager of Pals when it opened in the Buttermarket, is full of praise for the team of staff she has working around her.

Together they are working to entice an older clientele through Kartouche's doors and make its customers feel welcome.

"Our changes will go right through to the security on the door," she said.

"There has to be a nice approach to our customers. At the end of the day, they're our bread and butter.

"We want to ensure there's good customer care from the front door to the back door. That's the most important thing. I've got a good management team behind me now. It's going to take a lot of hard work and it's been hard work but we're getting there."

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