THE new boss of the i360 is confident the business can be a success – but it needs more time and better marketing.

Ian Hart was appointed general manager of the seafront observation tower ten weeks ago. He replaced Steve Bax, who resigned as chief executive in October.

Mr Hart said the i360, which opened in 2016, was still a new business with “potential to develop”. But the company had not previously done a good enough job of promoting it, he said.

“People aren’t totally aware of what the i360 is and how they can get access to it. It’s awareness of the whole attraction, not just the pod. We have got great events. We have got a great beachfront restaurant.”

He said to build awareness the company plans to invest in marketing, adding: “We need to target a wider catchment area, not just Brighton.”

Drawing more visitors into the city from across the South East was now crucial, he said, adding a new creative and digital marketing campaign was being developed. He said: “We are trying to clarify who we are and our reason for being. We have got to make sure that we are as good as we can be, that we operate as efficiently as we can.

“It’s one thing working hard and doing a good job, but we have got to make sure we are looking at the numbers at all times ... and putting a crucial focus on the way we operate our business.”

And he said the attraction was “not doing as badly as some of the headlines are saying”, adding: “The loss is as much as anything a paper loss. It’s constituted as loan repayments. Most new businesses actually do restructure their loans

“We need time to grow and invest the business. Luckily the council understands that. Last year we gave back £2.75million. We are very grateful to the community for all the support. We pay the living wage, we employ 100 people on site. We have given away 45,000 tickets and we absolutely support local businesses and charities.”

But he said there were “encouraging signs”.

In March the i360 had a year-on-year increase in visitor numbers and revenue. “It’s all fitting together,” he said. “It’s about looking at our business in a slightly different way.”