Hugh Clarke, the rogue football sponsor who left a trail of unpaid debts with clubs including Partick Thistle, St Mirren, and Falkirk, has launched a new venture targeting the wealthy clientele of Trump Turnberry.
Clarke, 59, caused fury in 2022 after his company Clarke ePOS made sponsorship deals with St Mirren, Falkirk, Partick Thistle, and Livingston, but failed to pay up.
New Business in Maybole
Clarke has now resurfaced in Maybole, Ayrshire, where he has set up Turnberry Golf Co Ltd, just a few miles from the world-famous Trump Turnberry resort.
He has boasted that his new venture will involve fine dining, VIP cars to travel to and from Turnberry, and a nightclub. He has posted slick images of his planned venture on Instagram and Facebook, where he has also criticised locals raising concerns about the project.
One local source said Clarke's plans for Maybole had led to local people questioning him about the previous unpaid bills. The source said: "Hugh Clarke just popped up very recently and started talking about acquiring property and setting up VIP businesses. Sure enough, he's started a new company in April that seems set to trade of the back of the wealthy folk heading to Turnberry."
Outstanding Debts Confirmed
Duncan Smillie, the entrepreneur who owned Glasgow Rocks and was chairman of Partick Thistle during dealings with Clarke, confirmed debt is still outstanding from Clarke ePOS. He said: "I would encourage anyone thinking of getting involved with him to seriously reconsider."
Smillie had earlier told the Record that Clarke's excuses for not paying "weren't much better than 'the dog ate my homework'."
Fanfaring his new dream, Clarke placed adverts seeking a chef at a salary of £75,000 and a PR executive for £50,000, with the company HQ at a former pub in Maybole. He also placed recruitment ads for cocktail waitresses, doormen and managers for his "Kanso" restaurant venture.
Plans for Exclusive Dining
Clarke boasted: "Private Fine Dining. Just eight seats. Ultra-exclusive 'omakase' experience. Not everyone gets in." Omakase means customers leave it to the chef to decide the food for the evening.
"The Clubhouse" will supposedly offer relaxed dining, breakfast, coffee and all-day food, while "The Bunka" is described as an outdoor social space that is dog-friendly. Clarke claims his ATB Executive Travel Hub will offer courtesy car pick-up/drop-off and luxury transport to and from Trump Turnberry, just a couple of miles away.
Clarke also plans to have "executive suites" that he believes will rival Donald Trump's five-star accommodation just down the road. He boasts: "All under one roof - just 12 minutes from Trump Turnberry Golf & Spa Resort."
Previous Financial Troubles
In 2022, the Daily Record told how Clarke faced a trail of cash claims after failing to meet payments for sponsorship of football clubs like Falkirk, St Mirren and Partick Thistle, as well as pro basketball team Glasgow Rocks and the Scottish pro netball team Strathclyde Sirens.
On Facebook, he has claimed to have settled all the cash disputes, which he blamed on other people. But the Record understands that several creditors were not paid a penny, including Falkirk FC, who went unpaid despite allowing Clarke EPOS (UK) Limited to emblazon its name on their strips. A court found in favour of the club and awarded a summary decree in its favour.
The order issued by the Court entitles the club to recover the full amounts claimed, interest on the late payment and the recovery of legal expenses incurred. But even after that Clarke failed to pay up.
Staff at Clarke EPOS were forced to chase him for wages owed. The businessman took over the Sizzlers chippie in Airdrie in May 2020 but shut it down less than three months later after a stream of staff walked out or were sacked. Despite the outlet being closed, he kept all the lights on and the air conditioning running 24/7 - deliberately running up a huge bill until he returned the keys to the landlord a year later.
On WhatsApp, he wrote to Norman Towson, dad of sacked worker Jill Towson: "Did you not notice the lights on 24 hours a day for the last month? That's for keyboard warriors like you that say I've no money to pay for electricity." In another message he added: "No money for electric? Same p*sh. That's why lights left on for 24 hours a day and closed for five weeks to shut a few people up. Why? Because I can afford to." At the time, Clarke said he had no comment to make on the bill row.
Clarke's Response
When the Daily Record contacted Hugh Clarke about the Maybole plans he said they were now out of date. He said the Turnberry Golf Co Ltd has made no suggestion of being connected to Trump Turnberry. Clarke said he did not want his company's debt described as a personal debt owed by him.
On his Facebook page, Clarke later states: "The Daily Record's chief reporter has contacted me to say that people in Ayrshire have been in touch with him regarding my business plans in a NEGATIVE way and that he intends to publish a story."
He adds: "The Maybole venue formerly known as The Carrick was originally going to be called Clarke's. The bar is currently being refurbished, with plans for a separate adult gaming centre next door to follow, subject to all necessary approvals."
"I am also working on a completely separate golf travel venture through Turnberry Golf Co Ltd, which is registered at Companies House. The company name does not mean that I own or operate Turnberry Golf Course, and I have never made any such claim."
He adds: "Most importantly, I want to reassure my friends, family and supporters that yet again the business projects I am pursuing are being developed legitimately and, where required, will be subject to the appropriate licences, permissions and regulatory approvals."
