Leisure Report articles from August 2006

Leisure Report archives from August 2006

BETonSPORTS arrest in US sends shockwaves through the industry.(Inside track)
August 1, 2006... The US Department of Justice's shock arrest of David Carruthers, chief executive of BETonSPORTS, has caused havoc amongst the already-volatile internet gaming industry, and left the future of sports betting on the net in considerable doubt. ...

Prohibition, or protectionism?(Inside track)
August 1, 2006... Gambling has long been regarded as a risky business, from its early association with the mafia, through to the modern day risks associated with online gaming stocks, but does anyone in this country really believe David Carruthers should be...

PartyGaming sees 49% revenue rise as it attempts to increase non-US customer base.(News)
August 1, 2006... PartyGaming, the world's largest online gaming group, reported a 49% increase in revenue to $319.3m (172.64m [pounds sterling]), for the three months to 30 June. The number of active poker players rose 23% to 14.0m, while real money poker...

LCI must look to merger as results stutter.(London Clubs International)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Shareholders in London Clubs International, now an operator of just six UK casinos and three overseas, will be crossing their fingers that the merger talks between the group and Stanley Leisure deliver a positive result. Although LCI has...

Training funds?(Edge employer awards)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Edge, the educational foundation, said a low number of entries for this year's Edge Employer Awards had left a large tranche of training funds unclaimed. The awards highlight organisations from across the UK that provide outstanding...

Manchester Arena sold for 62m [pounds sterling].(News)
August 1, 2006... GE Real Estate UK and Capital & Regional, in a 70:30 joint venture, have exchanged contracts to acquire the Manchester Arena complex, which includes the 20,000 seat MEN Arena, for 61.75m [pounds sterling] from Anschutz Entertainment Group...

Government's tout ultimatum.(News)
August 1, 2006... The government has put sports bodies on notice to find a solution to the problem of ticket touting, or face legislation from Whitehall. Such organisations as Rugby Football Union, the England and Wales Cricket Board, the FA and the FA...

De Vere's Greens sites could be sold.(News: Health & Fitness)(De Vere Hotels & Leisure Ltd.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... De Vere's standalone health and fitness brand, Greens, is likely to be sold off after property developer Richard Balfour-Lynn won the 767m [pounds sterling] battle for the hotels and leisure group. AHG Venice, Balfour-Lynn's buyout vehicle,...

Alliance Leisure in PTE merger.(News: Health & Fitness)
August 1, 2006... Alliance Leisure has merged with PTE to create "the most multi-faceted leisure company in the UK". Alliance, the facility development and partnership support company, will operate largely as before, but trading as a division of the PTE...

Virgin territory to expand?(News: Health & Fitness)
August 1, 2006... Virgin Active could become one of the major players in the UK health and fitness sector, if Sir Richard Branson can clinch a deal to take over Holmes Place's 48-strong UK estate. Branson is in advanced talks over a possible merger, which...

Maple Leaf leads Esporta talks.(News: Health & Fitness)
August 1, 2006... Esporta is in talks about a 300m [pounds sterling]-plus sale and ieaseback deal for its freehold racket clubs. Maple Leaf is current favourite to clinch a deal. Robert Tchenguiz and London & Regional are also thought to be interested. Duke...

Fitness First eyes Oz and India.(News: Health & Fitness)
August 1, 2006... Fitness First, the health and fitness club operator, is reportedly planning to enter the Indian market, according to The Times. The company, which was acquired last September by BC Partners, in a deal valuing the chain at around 835m...

BISL welcomes Audit Commission's new sports study.(News: Health & Fitness)(Business In Sport and Leisure )
August 1, 2006... Business In Sport and Leisure (BISL) has welcomed the publication of the Audit Commission's report into the management of leisure services--Public sports and recreation services: Making them fit for the future. The report makes clear the...

Wilde party begins at Southampton Leisure.(News: Sport)(executives resign)
August 1, 2006... More than half of Southampton Leisure's board has resigned, including chairman Rupert Lowe. A dispute between Michael Wilde, the property developer who represents the interests of just under half the shareholders, was due to come to a head...

Under-par results but Playgolf tees up for Scottish site.(News: Sport)
August 1, 2006... Reporting results for the year to 31 December 2005, Playgolf, the UK urban golf operator, said turnover rose marginally to 2.39m [pounds sterling], but was not enough to offset a loss after taxation of 980,000 [pounds sterling]. The group said...

Leisure report LR index: football stockwatch July 2006.(News: Sport)(Statistical data)
August 1, 2006... As July is in the height of the off season, investors have little reason to concern themselves with soccer shares, and the lack of activity in the share index this month illustrates this nicely. Only four clubs saw any movement at all in their...

Top Ten sees 44.5% increase.(earnings)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Top Ten Holdings, the third-largest bingo club operator in the UK, has announced a 44.5% increase in full-year pre-tax profits to 2.4m [pounds sterling]. The company said it remained bullish on future prospects, and did not view the impact of...

Gamesys eyes growth.(appointment)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Gamesys has appointed Roger Devlin, corporate development director of Hilton Group as its new chairman. The appointment comes a year after the firm was considering a 100m [pounds sterling] flotation, however, its new chairman was quick to point...

Turnover up at Inspired.(Inspired Gaming)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Inspired Gaming, the gaming machine operator, reported a 2.58% increase in its turnover from 83.1m [pounds sterling] to 85.3m [pounds sterling] for the 28 weeks to 8 April. But Ebitda, less machine depreciation was down 25.4% from 7.4m [pounds...

Stanley buys 5.9m [pounds sterling] casino.
August 1, 2006... Stanley Leisure has acquired the Harbour House casino in Southampton tot 5.9m [pounds sterling]. The deal included 563,000 [pounds sterling] in debt. The casino opened in December 2003 and covers 21,500 sq ft.

Smoking ban hits bingo.
August 1, 2006... The Bingo Association has warned of the negative affects of the smoking ban in England and Wales, after reporting a 27% drop in sales for club operators in Scotland since the implementation of such a ban. Five clubs have closed down since the...

Betcorp's 5m [pounds sterling] US betting deal increases its sportsbook exposure.(News: Betting & Gaming)
August 1, 2006... Betcorp, the AIM-listed gaming firm, has announced the acquisition of Oasis, the Curacao-based US facing online sports betting and gaming operator, for $9.76m (5.29m [pounds sterling]). The announcement came early in July, before the US...

Ukbetting sees 10% increase.(financial report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Ukbetting, the online sports content and gaming company, has reported a 10% rise in revenue and "a significant increase" in profitability for the first half of its trading year. In a trading update, the firm said that trading in the first...

Rank in sale and leaseback deal.(News: Betting & Gaming)
August 1, 2006... Rank Group announced it has agreed a 172m [pounds sterling] transaction with Earth Estates and Solarus Estates for the sale and leaseback of 43 of its UK properties. The agreement includes the 211m [pounds sterling] sale and leaseback of...

32Red reports 48% increase.(News: Betting & Gaming)
August 1, 2006... 32Red, the online casino, poker and sports betting operator, has reported total revenues up 48.08% to 6.24m [pounds sterling] for its half year to 30 June compared to the same period in 2006. Casino revenue increased by 27.12 % to 5.0m...

Stanley records 97% rise in pre-tax profits.(News: Betting & Gaming)
August 1, 2006... Stanley Leisure, the UK's largest casino operator, has reported a 97% increase in pre-tax profits to 31.9m [pounds sterling], in its preliminary results for the year to 30 April. Turnover increased by 2% to 224.8m [pounds sterling], while...

Strong trading at Gaming VC.(News: Betting & Gaming)
August 1, 2006... Gaming VC, the European online casino provider, announced that trading for the six months to 30 June had been "strong", with like-for-like key performance indicators showing continued growth. In pre-close trading update, new registrations...

Councils ask for more time.(News: Betting & Gaming)(licensing laws implementation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Council officials have warned the government to delay the introduction of the new gambling laws by up to six months, or face the same problems created by the new licensing laws. According to reports, council officials have told the...

Restrictions lifted on gambling ads.(News: Betting & Gaming)
August 1, 2006... Casinos, betting shops and other forms of gambling can be advertised on TV from next year under new guidelines set out in the Gambling Act. The Act gives gambling operators full media access to advertise their business when it comes into...

Alton Towers in row over 'faith day'.(Muslim fun day at theme park )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Alton Towers is at the centre of a row over its first Muslim fun day, which will see the theme park made compliant with Islamic teachings. On 17 September, the park expects up to 28,000 followers of the faith to attend a day during which there...

Short trips more popular than holidays abroad.(Survey)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... UK residents took more trips in their own country than abroad, according to the 2005 United Kingdom Tourism Survey by VisitBritain. The survey found that Britons took 138.7m overnight domestic trips in 2005, compared with 66.5m trips abroad,...

Backing secured for Dickens attraction.(new theme park, Dickens World)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Dickens World, a theme park based on the author of Oliver Twist and David Copperfield, is to open at the former Chatham Docks, in Kent. Businessman Kevin Christie has secured 62m [pounds sterling] financing from Bank of Scotland for the...

Lenin's birthplace could become a theme park.
August 1, 2006... Governor Sergey Morozov of the central Russian town of Ulyanovsk wants to turn Lenin's birthplace into a theme park called Leninland. He says visitors would be able to "relive the gulag experience" there.

Blackstone buys Center Parcs Europe as UK falls foul of planners.(Blackstone Group acquired six European Center Parcs resorts )
August 1, 2006... Blackstone Group, the US private equity group, has acquired six European Center Parcs resorts for an undisclosed fee. The deal will come as some solace to the firm, which has grown frustrated with the difficulties involved in gaining planning...

EU's hospitality businesses are confident, says Amex.(News: Tourism & Attractions)
August 1, 2006... Two thirds of Europe's hospitality businesses are confident that their profits will stay the same or improve in the coming year, according to research released by American Express. The sector is reported to be more concerned about...

UK tourism could be hit by 2012 Olympics.(News: Tourism & Attractions)
August 1, 2006... Tourism in the UK may not benefit from the 2012 Olympic Games in London, according to a report by the European Tour Operators Association (EOTA). The report said that countries who stage the Games suffered from a drop in tourism in the...

Vue confirms management buyout backed by Bank of Scotland team.(News: Cinema & Entertainment)
August 1, 2006... Vue Entertainment, the UK's "leading developer and operator of state-of-the-art cinemas", has announced a management buyout in partnership with Bank of Scotland Corporate, through its Integrated Finance Team. The bank backed the incumbent...

Luminar sees like-for-like sales down 8%.(News: Cinema & Entertainment)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Luminar, the quoted nightclub group, reported current like-for-like sales down 8%. The company said that the figures, for the first 19 weeks of its new financial year, were primarily due to the "unusual market conditions arising in the...

Georgica in bid negotiations.(News: Cinema & Entertainment)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Georgica, the UK tenpin and cuesports group, announced it had been contacted by "a number of parties who are potentially interested in making an offer for the company". In a statement, Georgica said that, "whilst it is most unlikely that a...

Novus looks to Web to drive bookings boost.(News: Cinema & Entertainment)(Nevus Leisure)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Nevus Leisure, formely Urbium, has overhauled its presence online in a bid to increase its customer base. It has redesigned its umbrella website latenightlondon.co.uk, as well as 36 of its branded venue sites including Tiger Tiger,...

Ultimate plans national prohibition rollout.(Ultimate Leisure)(cocktail bar brand rollout)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Ultimate Leisure, the Newcastle-based bar and club business led by Mark Jones, plans to rollout its Prohibition cocktail bar brand across the UK. Ultimate will invest 10m [pounds sterling] a year opening new sites. Each new outlet costs about...

Playboy targets London members' club.(Playboy Clubs International Inc.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Playboy, the adult entertainment group set up by entrepreneur Hugh Hefner, is planning to open a private members' club and casino near Trafalgar Square in London, according to reports. The venue, which will be located on Northumberland Avenue,...

Heaven & Hell goes bust.(Entrepreneurial Leisure)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Heaven & Hell nightclub chain owner Entrepreneurial Leisure has become the first casualty of the new licensing laws after losing trade to pubs caused it to lurch into insolvency. Peter Clarke, who founded Entrepreneurial Leisure in 1997, has...

Noisy nightclubs face fines.
August 1, 2006... The government is to launch a consultation on plans to cut down on the noise generated by late-night pubs, bars and clubs, which could lead to those found to be breaking noise restrictions facing a maximum fine of 5,000 [pounds sterling]. The...

McDonald's revamps child's play areas as European trading steadies.(News: Food & Drink)
August 1, 2006... McDonald's is to replace its children's play areas with a new activity concept targeting youngsters aged between four and 12 years old. The old Playplace will make way for the R Gym, an activity centre that features stationary bicycles...

Coffee Republic sees 5% decline.(financial report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Coffee Republic, the coffee and dell bar operator, has reported a 5% drop in like-for-like sales for the 52 weeks ending 26 March. The company attributed the fall to a "softening in performance" since July 2005, which had continued into the...

Outback opens sixth outlet.(News: Food & Drink)(Outback Steakhouse)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Outback Steakhouse, the Australian-themed steakhouse chain, will open its sixth outlet on 20 June at Stevenage Leisure Park, in Hertfordshire. The company invested 1.1m [pounds sterling] into the new 6,000 sq ft restaurant, which has 240...

O'Briens aims to increase its link-up with Roadchef motorway service stations.(News: Food & Drink)
August 1, 2006... O'Briens, the Irish sandwich chain, has said it could roll out its concept into more Roadchef motorway service stations, after reporting it is "happy with the progress" made so far by an initial pilot site, launched last year. Separately,...

Upper Crust to open 80 outlets.(News: Food & Drink)
August 1, 2006... Upper Crust, the travel concession-based business, plans to open 80 new outlets over the next two years. The company is part of the 1.82bn [pounds sterling] package that Compass Group sold with SSP and Moto Motorway Services to Swedish...

Little Chef's 40th Coffee Tempo!(News: Food & Drink)
August 1, 2006... Little Chef, the roadside restaurant chain, was expected to open its 40th Coffee Tempo! site by the end of July. The company, which was acquired by The People's Restaurant Group for 52m [pounds sterling] at the turn of the year, launched...

Wild Bean speculation.(News: Food & Drink)
August 1, 2006... BP is considering opening standalone Wild Bean Cafe outlets away from service stations and garage forecourts. Andrew Davis, BP trading manager, said that because customers do not recognise Wild Bean as a BP brand, it was free to open...

Draft guidelines for smoking ban are launched.(News: Industry)
August 1, 2006... English leisure firms will have to follow the same restrictions on outside smoking areas as their Scottish counterparts, after the government launched its draft guidelines for next summer's proposed smoking ban. The government has moved to...

Atradius urges firms to remain calm over rising oil prices.(News: Industry)
August 1, 2006... UK businesses have been urged to remain calm, but to trade with caution, as the full impact of recent soaring global oil prices filters through to the shop floor and the high street. In its latest Risk Index, global credit insurer Atradius...

BHA criticises bed tax proposal for hotels.(News: Industry)
August 1, 2006... Bob Cotton, chairman of the British Hospitality Association (BHA), has criticised proposals for the government's proposed bed tax as "immensely damaging" to the industry, and promised "to campaign vigorously" against it. Speaking at the...

Leisure heavyweights feature in birthday honours list.(News: Industry)
August 1, 2006... Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the leisure chief who started budget airline Easyjet and its associated brands such as the failed easyCinema, has been knighted for services to entrepreneurship. Elsewhere in the leisure sector, David Michels, the...

Mobile users search for leisure.(News: Industry)
August 1, 2006... Fast food outlets figured strongly in the list of UK searches by mobile users, according to m-spatial, the mobile local search research firm. Pizza Hut came second in the list, with 15% of searches made between April and June 2006, beating...

Stanley to open 30,000 sq ft casino at X-Leisure's Fountain Park.(News: Property & Development)
August 1, 2006... X-Leisure has announced the letting of 30,000 sq ft at its Edinburgh's Fountain Park leisure destination to Stanley Casinos, on a 25-year FRI lease. Stanley expects to open a new 6.5m [pounds sterling] Fountain Park Casino during the first half...

Lingfield under starter's orders.(News: Property & Development)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Arena Leisure announced that it has been granted outline planning permission by Tandridge District Council to improve Lingfield Park Racecourse. The improvements will include a 120-room hotel, new golf facilities and clubhouse, new leisure...

Rank expands.(News: Property & Development)(Multibuild)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Construction contractor Multibuild has secured two new casino contracts from the Rank Group gaming division. The contracts have a combined value of almost 3.75m [pounds sterling]. The first will see Multibuild converting four retail units into...

London Astoria sold in 23.75m [pounds sterling] deal.(News: Property & Development)
August 1, 2006... The London Astoria, the live music and nightclub venue based in Charing Cross Road, has been acquired by Derwent Valley, the listed West End property and development company, for a total consideration of 23.75m [pounds sterling] plus costs. ...

25m [pounds sterling] Consett leisure scheme given go-ahead by government planners.(News: Property & Development)
August 1, 2006... The north-east town of Consett was timbering up after the mooted 25m [pounds sterling] flagship sports and leisure centre being built by Project Genesis, the public-private partnership company charged with regenerating the former steelworks...

The eagles have landed: David Minton says older club members, the fitness industry's Johnny Come Latelys, don't always want to take it easy, but do like a peaceful, easy feeling.(Insight)
August 1, 2006... What do Twickenham, Wembley Arena, Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, Glasgow's Hampden Park, MEN Arena Manchester and an estimated 300,000 baby boomers all have in common? Answer: The Eagles! The band and their fans refuse to grow old and they...

A spa better thing: are hotel spas just another room-rate driving gimmick or a lucrative offering in their own right? Daniel Fryer reports on the rising investment drive towards destination spas in the UK.(Hotel Spas)
August 1, 2006... Time was when any hotel worth its salt couldn't keep up with the competition unless they could flag up such offerings as tennis courts, golf courses, swimming pools and other assorted leisure facilities. Now, the latest must-have accessory...

The 2006 Spa Industry Report: Topaz Consulting's Mike Fitch breaks down the essentials from the latest spa research.(The 2006 Spa Industry Report)
August 1, 2006... As the spa industry continues to develop and grow, the demand for good quality market intelligence has never been greater. The Spa Business Association (SpaBA), in partnership with Topaz Consulting launched a major research study into this...

Call off the search: Duncan Rowe talks to Neale Jackson, partner at Capitis Partners, the headhunter, about his firm's growing relationship with the multi-faceted UK leisure industry.(Profile: Capitis Partners)(Industry overview)
August 1, 2006... What do KPMG, Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP, Marsh Insurance, Global Leisure Partners, Royal Bank of Scotland and Capitis Partners have in common? These companies are all committed to the UK leisure industry, and are representative of excellence...

Making a name for yourself: Lorien Pilling reports from the latest Gambit networking event, which focused on marketing issues and techniques for the e-gaming and internet casino marketplace.(Business Sense: Gambit event)
August 1, 2006... Not even the lure of Germany playing Poland in the World Cup could prevent another good crowd gathering for the latest in Gambit's series of e-gaming discussion and networking evenings. The topic under discussion was the marketing of...

Oi, get on my land! Phil Cain pulls on his wellies for a look at how the growing market in farm attractions could begin to affect traditional leisure operators.(Sector update: Farm attractions)
August 1, 2006... These days a British farmer is more likely to invite people crossing their path to hop aboard their tractor, churn up a field on a quad bike or fire a volley of pumpkins than to menace them with a shotgun. In England two thirds of the...

Taking the heat off businesses: Donald Maclean of Audits Unlimited, says an innovative solution can help leisure and sports firms to reduce energy consumption and costs.(Business sense: Continuing utility costs)
August 1, 2006... Most organisations will be familiar with The Climate Change Levy (CCL), a tax introduced in April 2001 on energy use in industry, commerce, agriculture and the public sector. Many businesses in industry exemption schemes initially found it...

Rachel Lampard and Lord McIntosh have been appointed to the board of the Gambling Commission.(People on the move)
August 1, 2006... Rachel Lampard and Lord McIntosh have been appointed to the board of the Gambling Commission. The appointments strengthen the Commission's expertise in ensuring socially responsible gambling and delivering the Act's objectives. Peter...

Deep-Sea Leisure.(People on the move)
August 1, 2006... The board of Deep-Sea Leisure, which runs two aquariums, in Chester and Edinburgh, announced that Juan Carlos Smith and Malcolm Flinn have resigned from the board with immediate effect. Deep Sea's chairman said he "would like to thank Mr...

Lifetime.(appointments)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Lifetime, the UK's leading provider of training for employees within the leisure industry, has announced two new additions to its team. Alistair Wakefield joins as a regional assessor and Mark Durnford as a tutor. Wakefield becomes...

Life Fitness.(appointments)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Life Fitness has appointed Sarah Plant to the position of account manager for VIVO in the UK. She joins Claire Kendrick, European director of fitness management solutions, and Tony Ramwell, VIVO installations and support manager for Europe, who...

Dave Richards, chairman of the Football Foundation and the FA Premier League, has been awarded a Knighthood in the Queen's birthday honours list this year for services to sports.(People on the move)
August 1, 2006... Dave Richards, chairman of the Football Foundation and the FA Premier League, has been awarded a Knighthood in the Queen's birthday honours list this year for services to sports. Sir David helped set up the Football Foundation, the UK's largest...

Millwall Holdings.(appointments)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... As expected, Millwall Holdings has announced the resignation of Theo Paphitis as a director of the company and its subsidiary The Millwall Football and Athletic Company, as of 19 July. Paphitis became a director and chairman of the Group in...

UK Sport.(UK Sport appointments)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Nigel Walker has been appointed to the board of UK Sport. Having competed in both athletics for Great Britain and Rugby Union for Wales, the move brings further experience of the international sporting stage to the board, in addition to his...

DC Leisure.(appointments)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... DC Leisure has appointed Sonia Eastick to the position of group marketing assistant. Eastick, who started her new role on 5 June, will report to group marketing co-ordinator, Catharine Simonds. Eastick has worked for DC for ten years and...

Peter Freeman, chairman of the Competition Commission, welcomed the appointment of Dr Peter Davis as a new deputy chairman of the CC.(appointment of Dr Peter Davis Competition Commission)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Peter Freeman, chairman of the Competition Commission, welcomed the appointment of Dr Peter Davis as a new deputy chairman of the CC. Freeman said: "There were several strong candidates for this post but I am delighted that we have been able to...

LR index leisure stockwatch July 2006.(Sharewatch)
August 1, 2006... Ouch! Well, July has been another dire month for those investors with a heavy leaning towards leisure stocks, with the BETonSPORTS future dominating proceedings, rather predictably. Let's start, however, with the good news. Coffee Republic...

Diary dates: Aug/Sept.(Diary dates)(Calendar)
August 1, 2006... August Event: Health and Fitness Business Date: 3-5 Location: Colorado, USA Description: Now into its ninth year, this event comprises new health and fitness innovations, product launches and networking opportunities. Held at...