Leisure Report articles from April 2008

Leisure Report archives from April 2008

Budget crushes gaming sector's hope of tax breaks.(News)
April 1, 2008... The beleagured UK bingo and coin-op industries were handed a "slap in the face" from the Treasury as, instead of a hoped-for removal of double taxation on bingo, Alistair Darling instead added to the sector's tax burden with a rise in amusement...

Dark, satanic treadmills.(Inside track)
April 1, 2008... When I asked Neil Gillis to write a column for this month's Leisure Report, I had hoped that the year or so he has been away from the health and fitness market would have given him time to ruminate on the sector, and sufficient distance to be...

Leisure workers want greener firms.(Breaking news)
April 1, 2008... Employees in the leisure sector are ready and willing to shrink their workplace emissions but need more support from their employers to do so. According to the findings of a Carbon Trust report into employees' attitudes to carbon reduction, 63%...

Attractions stay afloat despite wet summer.(Breaking news)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Visitor figures for Britain's tourist attractions made a strong recovery towards the end of 2007 despite the unusually wet summer, according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA). There was very little change overall...

Decline in overseas visitors continues into January.(Breaking news)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The number of overseas visitor arrivals fell by 3.9% year-on-year in January 2008, the fourth consecutive month of decline, according to figures from UKinbound. Visitor numbers were down 2.5% in December, following on from falls of 4.2% in...

Arena shrugs off cancellations.(Breaking news)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Arena Leisure, which stages over a quarter of all horseracing fixtures in the UK, posted a rise in full-year earnings despite last summer's floods causing a record amount of race cancellations. Pre-tax profit before interest for the year to 31...

Agilo takes CanDu attitude.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Agilo, the "distressed situations" fund that recently bought five Sports Care sites out of administration, has completed its second transaction in the leisure sector by completing the deal to buy nightclub company CanDu Entertainment. Jason...

Pontins sold for 46m [pounds sterling].(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Pontin's has been acquired for 46m [pounds sterling] by a company headed by Graham Parr, the former chief executive. The business, comprising seven holiday village sites around the UK, has been acquired with financing from Abbey UK Corporate...

Neville Porter pitches sold.
April 1, 2008... Shareholders in Neville Porter, the UK bookmaker, have approved the sale of the company's on-course betting pitches to the firm's eponymous managing director. Porter will acquire the UK betting pitches for 350,000 [pounds sterling]. The...

IHRSA figures show 3% annual growth across US fitness market.(News: Health & fitness)
April 1, 2008... The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) said that early estimates from an annual tracking study indicate health club membership in the US increased by 3% last year, from 42.7 million members in 2006 to 44.1 million in...

Roko's fifth club opens in Chiswick.(News: Health & fitness)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The independent operator, Roko Health Clubs, has launched its fifth site, Roko Chiswick Bridge, with partners Life Fitness and Escape Fitness. Roko Chiswick is the first health club in the country to offer the new 95T treadmills from Life...

Leisure Connection keen to shape up its green credentials.(News: Health & fitness)
April 1, 2008... Leisure Connection, the public access facility management company, has been trialling a number of initiatives aiming to decrease the energy and water consumption throughout its estate of more than 70 centres. The sports and leisure sector...

Esporta race heats up as LA Fitness and 3i close in on 180m [pounds sterling]-rated estate.(News: Health & fitness)
April 1, 2008... The battle for control of the Esporta business is heating up, with Mid-Ocean Partners, owner of LA Fitness, and 3i, a rival investment firm, favourites to win the cut-price battle to buy the beleaguered premium-end fitness club chain. ...

Powerleague looks to Patron to drive growth.(News: Sport)
April 1, 2008... Patron Capital Partners, the investment group, has acquired a 29% holding in Powerleague, the UK five-a-side operator, at 97.5p per share, representing more than a 20% premium to the previous day's closing price, in the wake of the firm's...

Opta Sportsdata receives 1.5m [pounds sterling] Close up.(News: Sport)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Close Ventures, which looks to invest up to 10m [pounds sterling] in growth businesses, has made a 1.5m [pounds sterling] investment into Opta Sportsdata, (Opta), a leading European provider of sports data and analysis. The investment will be...

IBB fund backs sports networking website.(News: Sport)
April 1, 2008... The fast-growing sports community for athletes in Germany and UK, sportme, has won an investment from the VC-fund Kreativwirtschaft, run by IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft (IBB). Entrepreneurs Peter Kabel and Maximilian Thyssen joined the...

Millwall FC sees losses reduce.(News: Sport)
April 1, 2008... Reporting interim results for the six months to 30 November 2007, Millwall Holdings said revenue for the period was 2.1m [pounds sterling] (2007: 2.4m [pounds sterling]), which was put down to the very poor start to the 2007/2008 season and the...

Sportech mulls bid for Tote's pari-mutuel arm.(News: Betting & gaming)
April 1, 2008... Sportech is planning an ambitious bid for the Tote, with a scheme to combine the state-owned bookmaker's pari-mutuel business with its own pools divisions. Ian Penrose, the group's chief executive, said he could envisage linking up with a...

AsianLogic set for further growth.(News: Betting & gaming)(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... AsianLogic, the Asia-Pacific online and land-based gaming company, said it had seen improvements in trading in both its casino and poker businesses, with turnover and revenues both increasing in the period from I January to 10 March. ...

Inspired mulls sale of its struggling pub machine arm.(News: Betting & gaming)
April 1, 2008... Inspired Gaming Group, the listed gaming machine operator, has announced that it is looking into the sale of its pub machine division, after profits were hit hard by the smoking ban. The company said that revenue from its pub machines...

NetPlay bets on bingos.com.(News: Betting & gaming)
April 1, 2008... NetPlayTV, the AIM-listed interactive gaming group, has augmented its position in the online bingo sector with the 6.25m [pounds sterling] purchase of bingos.com, a pan-European operator, from Global Gaming Entertainment and Euro Gaming. ...

US settlement pushes NETeller into the red.(News: Betting & gaming)(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Online payments specialist NETeller posted a pre-tax loss in its preliminary results for the year to 31 December 2007 of $185.76m (92m [pounds sterling]) as its $136m settlement with the US authorities and $37m in restructuring costs weighed on...

William Hill wins 2m [pounds sterling] problem gambler's duty of care court case.(News: Betting & gaming)
April 1, 2008... Leading UK bookmaker William Hill has won a High Court ruling that it did not exploit a customer's gambling addiction in allowing him to run up debts of over 2m [pounds sterling]. Mr Justice Briggs held that although William Hill was...

Blue Square launches European sportsbook.(News: Betting & gaming)
April 1, 2008... Rank Group and 888 Holdings said Rank's Blue Square division has launched 888sport.com, a pan-European sports betting service developed and marketed with 888, simultaneously in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and Austria. The...

EU probes US ban on internet gambling.(News: Betting & gaming)
April 1, 2008... The European Union has launched an investigation into whether US prosecutions of foreign online gambling companies were discriminatory, possibly paving the way for action at the World Trade Organisation. The Commission said it would look into...

Betdirect weighs on 32Red results.(News: Betting & gaming)(Financial report)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... 32Red, which sold Betdirect in December last year to Stan James, reported increased losses in 2007, reflecting the poor performance of the division prior to the sale, and the subsequent write-down of fixed assets. The company reported a...

Everyman buys 7m [pounds sterling] Screen Cinema.(News: Cinema & entertainments)(Everyman Media Group )
April 1, 2008... Everyman Media Group, the independent cinema operator, has announced the acquisition of Screen Cinemas, the independent cinema chain, as part of its ambitious expansion plans for its Everyman brand. The 7m [pounds sterling] deal will see...

Novus set to buy 7 Soho Clubs & Bars sites.(News: Cinema & entertainments)(Novus Leisure Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Novus Leisure, the late-night specialist, is to acquire the lion's share of Soho Clubs & Bars, in a deal valued at between 8m [pounds sterling] to 10m [pounds sterling], Leisure Report understands. The London-based group, which is backed...

MAMA gets new gigs.(News: Cinema & entertainments)(acquisitions of MAMA Group)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... MAMA Group, the listed live music group, said it is buying The Gig, a medium-sized music and entertainment venue in Edinburgh, from Luminar Liquid for 3.55m [pounds sterling]. MAMA said it will fund the purchases with a mix of new debt...

Cineworld shows profit in its maiden results.(News: Cinema & entertainments)(Financial report)
April 1, 2008... Cineworld Group, the listed UK operator, said it had made a strong start to 2008 as it posted adjusted pre-tax profit of 25.7m [pounds sterling] for the 52 weeks to 27 December 2007, against a loss of 7.7m [pounds sterling] in 2006. ...

Deep-Sea Leisure to de-list as Aspro expands.(News: Tourism & attractions)
April 1, 2008... Deep-Sea Leisure, which runs two aquariums in the UK, is set to cancel its AIM listing. Net Ein, the company's majority and controlling shareholder, which is a subsidiary of European attractions operator Aspro, said it "believes that it is...

BALPPA calls for cut in VAT on UK tourism.(News: Tourism & attractions)
April 1, 2008... British tourism chiefs want Alastair Darling to reduce VAT to the same levels as European competitors to stem a spiralling decline in UK destinations and attractions. A reduction would be tax positive and create jobs says The British...

No delays as Thomas pulls in.(News: Tourism & attractions)(contracts of HIT Entertainment PLC)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Drayton Manor Theme Park in the U K revealed its latest major attraction on 12 March; the new Thomas Land area. Created in conjunction with HIT Entertainment, which owns the Thomas and Friends brand rights, and designed and themed by RMA,...

Visit Britain offers attractions the chance to make a 'Green Start'.(News: Tourism & attractions)(visitbritain.com)(enjoyengland.com)
April 1, 2008... VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, has launched a new programme--Green Start--to help accommodation providers and visitor attractions in England take the first steps towards becoming sustainable businesses. The agency aims to...

Pizza Hut puts 40 sites on the market as it targets leisure parks.(News: Food & drink)
April 1, 2008... Pizza Hut U K, the subsidiary of American giant Yum! Brands, has placed a package of more than 40 restaurants on the market as it focuses on building outlets on retail and leisure parks. The sale package, which is to be marketed through...

50m [pounds sterling] YO! Sushi acquired by Quilvest.(News: Food & drink)
April 1, 2008... YO! Sushi, the fast-casual Japanese restaurant chain, has been acquired by Quilvest Private Equity, in a deal thought to be worth about 50m [pounds sterling]. The management team, led by Robin Rowland, has taken a 25% stake in the business...

Britons eat out less, spend more.(News: Food & drink)(Survey)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... People in the UK are starting to eat out less often, with volume consumption for March down 11% compared to the same period last year, according to a new Quickbite eating out survey. The research by FMCG found that although the number of...

McD's sees sales up 11.7% in February.(News: Food & drink)(Financial report)
April 1, 2008... McDonald's has reported an 11.7% increase in global same store sales in February, driven by strong demand in Europe and improved US coffee sales. The company enjoyed a positive performance in Europe, with a 15.4% rise in comparable sales,...

Starbucks signs its first UK hotel deal.(News: Food & drink)
April 1, 2008... Starbucks Coffee Company UK is taking its coffee directly to hotel guests after signing a partnership agreement with Shire Hotels- a division of Daniel Thwaites, the Lancashire-brewer. pub and hotel operator. The deal will see a Starbucks...

Licensed premises face 'two strikes and you're out' rule.(News: Food & drink)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The government has announced plans to introduce a new "yellow card and red card" alert scheme for licensed premises that are found to be in breach of licensing laws. The new system, which is one of the government's proposed measures to...

Playing field planning safeguards 'are working'.(News: Property & development)(Report)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... New data from Sport England reveals that 97% of concluded planning applications affecting playing fields in 2005-06 resulted in "improved or protected" sports provision, while only 40 applications out of 1216 resulted in a "detrimental impact...

Willmott Dixon wins 25m [pounds sterling] Gateshead leisure contract.(News: Property & development)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Developer Willmott Dixon has been appointed by Gateshead Council as design and build partner for the biggest-ever investment in leisure facilities in the borough. Under its Scape framework, Willmott Dixon has been brought in to work with...

Gloucestershire Esporta opens.(News: Property & development)
April 1, 2008... The official opening of the 14m [pounds sterling] Gloucestershire Health and Racquets Club took place on 16 March. With over 84,000 sq ft of indoor space, the new Esporta Gloucestershire club bpasts a wide range of top quality facilities....

Club Company invests 2m [pounds sterling] in Tytherington club re-fit.(News: Property & development)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Club Company is set to invest 2m [pounds sterling] in an extensive upgrade of The Tytherington Club, its upmarket venue in Macclesfield, Cheshire. The project, which will commence in May, will create new poolside spa facilities for...

Iconic London music venue goes on the market.(News: Property & development)
April 1, 2008... The Bull & Gate, the iconic Kentish Town pub that has built a global reputation as an incubator of musical talent, is up for sale. Leisure agents Shelley Sandzer are seeking a buyer "Who will continue to build on the traditions of the Bull...

M&A activity rises ahead of CGT increase.(News: Industry)
April 1, 2008... Corporate transactions in the UK are recovering from the slump at the end of 2007, as firms push deals through ahead of the implementation of the new Capital Gains Tax (CGT) regime, according to a new report. Deal Drivers UK, from...

VC's win VAT bonus on fees.(News: Industry)
April 1, 2008... Venture capital trusts (VCTs) will no longer have to pay value-added tax (VAT) on their management fees from 1 October, the government has announced. Investment trusts will also be exempt from VAT. The move follows a ruling from the...

215m[pounds sterling] investment fund set to open to 'third sector' groups.(News: Industry)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Futurebuilders England, the government-backed investment fund for the third sector, is gearing up to open its doors this month to organisations working across all areas of public service delivery. Offering loans-based investment packages,...

Small firms remain confident.(News: Industry)
April 1, 2008... Dispelling some of the current credit fears, a report release last month shows that almost two thirds (65%) of small businesses aim to expand over the coming year. The government's Annual Small Business Survey 2006/07 shows that the...

Stepping off the treadmill: former Esporta chief executive Neil Gillis says the fitness industry needs to seriously consider fundamental change, and could look to five-a-side operators for a new set of goals.(Insight)
April 1, 2008... There was one thing which haunted me during my time in the health and fitness industry and which I have continued to think about since I left more than a year ago. In every other business I have run--from Cadbury's biscuits to Greene King pubs...

Terror--prepare or beware: despite the credit crunch, fiscal troubles are not the worst thing that could happen to your business. Mary Lynch says preparing a strategy for terror makes sound business sense.(Insight: Managing risk--terrorism)
April 1, 2008... The publication of a national security strategy oil 19 March confirmed the view that we live in a risky world. This strategy brings together an assessment of the major risks to the country including floods, pandemics and terrorism. It comes hot...

Family matters: Rupert Merson, partner at BDO Stoy Hayward, investigates the role that family businesses play in the UK economy and the implications for their members in the public eye.(Insight: Family business)
April 1, 2008... That one of the biggest and best-known hotel chains in the world has a family business heritage may give you cause for thinking that the title of this article is based on a false premise. Paris Hilton has albeit inadvertently done all she...

Queenco sets out its 'one vision': the UK casino market throws up considerable barriers to entry, as well as stiff competition. Duncan Rowe looks at Queenco Leisure, which seems to have hit the jackpot overseas.(Company profile: Queenco Leisure)
April 1, 2008... UK casino operators have had a bit of a rough ride of late, what with the so-called deregulation of the market, the removal of swathes of lucrative FOBT machines, and the impact of the smoking ban. So much so that it appears that, takeover...

Baby steps for a smaller footprint: Richard Sharman, head of KPMG's UK Carbon Advisory Group, says there are many good reasons for firms to reduce their carbon footprints, and some simple measures to begin with.(Insight: Carbon offsetting)
April 1, 2008... In 2007, the term 'climate change' appeared in UK headlines 3,207 times. Climate change as a high-profile issue is here to stay and efforts to address it are gaining momentum.There is a scientific consensus that climate change is happening, and...

Eight steps to recession-proofing: a US-led global downturn now looks an inevitability, writes David Carey. The question now is: is there a truly recession-proof business, and what steps are you taking to become one?(Insight: Recession proofing)(Company overview)
April 1, 2008... The news that Las Vegas, of all places, is starting to suffer as a result of the global slowdown in consumer spending and confidence, (which for simplicity's sake we'll call a recession from here onwards), should send a tremor through the UK...

NED: bidet, referee or coach? It is time for a complete overhaul of the role non-executives play on the boards of public companies, says award-winning serial director John Barnes.(Insight: Non-executive directors)
April 1, 2008... "What is a non-executive director?" Michael Grade was famously asked on the TV show, Have I Got News For You. His reply? "It's like a bidet--nice to have, but nobody really knows what it is for." The other gag about non-executive directors, or...

The reel of fortune: Peter Martin says an insightful piece of research into fruit machines can assist in attempts to better understand how to tackle sliding use and spend.(Insight: Fruit machines)(Survey)
April 1, 2008... It is not only beer sales that have been taking a dive in pubs. Machine income has also been sliding. As one pub-chain boss recently observed, the two appear inextricably linked. This is not good news for the machine industry, which knows...

LR Index leisure stockwatch March 2008.(Sharewatch)(leisure report)(Statistical table)(Column)
April 1, 2008... I normally leave updating the leisure share table until the very last moment before going to press, to ensure we're bringing you the most up-to-date information possible, but given the continuing downhill slide, I am wondering if it might not...

Leisure Connection.(People on the move)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Leisure Connection has bolstered its central support team, with Kevin Yates becoming Harpers Brand manager, tasked with looking after the health and fitness areas of the estate. He joins from Esporta UK where he headed up health & fitness for...

Bell-Fruit Group.(People on the move)(Tony Oliver appointed)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Bell-Fruit Group, a leading player in the UK gaming and amusement machines sector, has announced senior management changes at its game development subsidiary Mazooma Games. Mazooma managing director Richard Wilson has stepped down from the...

Sport and Leisure Management.(People on the move)(Martin Baker appointed)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Sport and Leisure Management (SLM) has appointed a national health and safety training manager. Martin Baker, who began his role in January, is working alongside the Institute of Qualified Lifeguards to raise lifeguarding standards across its...

Probability.(People on the move)
April 1, 2008... Probability, the mobile gambling specialist, has appointed Matthew Wreford as a non-executive director with effect from 27 February, following the private placing with IPGL. Wreford, a qualified chartered accountant, is a director of IPGL,...

Department for Culture, Media and Sport.(People on the move)(Mick Elliott appointed)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Mick Elliott, currently chief executive of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, has been appointed as the new director of culture at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Elliott, who is also associate cultural director of Liverpool Capital...

Diary dates: April.(Appointments)(Calendar)
April 1, 2008... March Event: AFEEX Hung Kung Date: 29-30 Location: Hong Kong Central Library Description: The Asian Fitness Education Expo showcases the latest training techniques and management protocols for the rapidly-growing Chinese...