As 2016 begins, so will one of the peak periods of the year for club furniture sales, fuelled by the membership fees collected by many venues in January.
Establishments whose membership is based on an annual fee payable in January will be receiving the bulk of their earnings for the coming year within the first few weeks - making it a crucial time to take stock of what's coming in, and how best to spend it for greater prosperity in the months that follow.
This is about more than just replacing tired old club furniture or broken chairs and tables, or even planned refurbishment projects and changes of colour scheme or overall style; it also means maximising your potential occupancy wherever you can.
Even a single extra sofa in a bar area can accommodate a few extra patrons, allowing you to cater for a slightly larger membership in comfort all year round.
By adding to your club furniture with a few very practical items in this way, you increase the number of people who can regularly visit your premises - ensuring that you maximise your year-round income from any on-site sales of food, drink and so on.
This provides more insulation against the seasonal nature of membership fees, and can even bring in extra member fees later in the year as more people join your club throughout the spring, summer and autumn.
If you are short on space, stools are a great option - they can be tucked away under tables when not in use, or placed snugly up against a wall, so their overall impact on your floor space should be smaller than other furniture.
But when they are needed, they can be moved very easily into a different position, making your table groupings much more flexible when one or two extra people want to join a group, and need to add to the available seating by perching on a stool at the end or corner of the table.
Your club is as strong as the membership it serves - so make the new year your time to build your membership to its maximum potential.