Leisure Report articles from December 2006

Leisure Report archives from December 2006

BISL speaks out on'outrageous' DCMS proposals for gaming fees.(Business in Sport and Leisure, Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
December 1, 2006... Business in Sport and Leisure, the industry group which represents over 100 private sector companies in sport, hospitality and leisure, has launched a scathing attack on the DCMS' long-awaited consultation on Gambling Fees for Premises and...

Esporta sold to Halabi family trust.
December 1, 2006... Esporta, the premium UK health club and racquet sports operator, has been sold to the Halabi family trust for an undisclosed sum, said to be in excess of 460m [pounds sterling]. Ironzar, the Halabi family trust, is run by Simon Halabi, a...

Preaching to the converted ...(United Kingdom. Gambling Act 2005)
December 1, 2006... I recently attended the launch of a new publication--The Regional Casinos Debate: Regeneration and Responsible Gambling in the UK, at the Houses of Parliament, and had the pleasure of hearing Professor Peter Collins speak his mind about the...

Alliance Leisure plans to bring affordable spas to the public sector.(News)
December 1, 2006... Berni Hawkins, the well-known spa expert, has teamed up with Alliance Leisure to launch a spa partnership arm, bringing affordable but luxury spa services to the local authority market. Alliance Spa is already undertaking its first project...

LFLs improve but sale looks likely for DLL.(News)(David Lloyd Leisure PLC's profit on rise)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... David Lloyd Leisure, Whitbread's premium fitness club business, said like-for-like sales rose 2.2% in the first six months of its year. Profits were flat at 21.1m [pounds sterling], on sales which rose 5.7% to 118.4m [pounds sterling]. In...

Virgin Active confirms completion of Holmes Place acquisition.(News)
December 1, 2006... Virgin Active, the health and fitness operator, has completed its acquisition of Holmes Place's UK business in a deal valuing the enlarged chain at 650m [pounds sterling]. Virgin will have a majority stake in the group. Permira and Bridgepoint,...

Leisure Connection selects Quick Leisure's technology for rollout.(News)
December 1, 2006... Leisure Connection, operator of more than 80 sports and leisure centres on behalf of local authorities, has selected Quick Leisure's 'Training Cub' to enhance its existing facilities. Leisure Connection has extended its service offering to...

Gala coral celebrates as it wins two leading industry awards at LRA 06.(LRS Awards 2006 News)
December 1, 2006... Gala Coral, Bowplex, and Holmes Place were celebrating last month, as each scooped two coveted Leisure Report Awards. There was also cause for celebration for Deep-Sea Leisure, Vue Entertainments, Kempton Park Racecourse, William Hill, and...

Football fever: new five-a-side operator set to take on the market.(Sport News)(Jonathan First to partner with Nick Vetch and Philip Burks to form a sports centers)
December 1, 2006... Jonathan First, ex-commercial director at Esporta, has teamed up with Nick Vetch and Philip Burks, the co-founders of the Big Yellow Group, and Richard Keys, a presenter at Sky Sports, to launch Football Fever--a new chain of five-a-side...

Top Golf owner bids for Baydrive.
December 1, 2006... The company which owns the rights to develop Top Golf entertainment centres across the US is in advanced talks to buy its counterpart in Britain. Golf Entertainment International (GEI) hopes to wrap up a deal in the next few weeks to acquire...

Lions struggle as cost of relegation becomes apparent.(Sport News)(Millwall Holdings PLC)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Reporting full-term results for the year to 31 May 2006, Millwall Holdings said turnover was 6.2m [pounds sterling] (2005: 7.4m [pounds sterling]). The firm said this was largely as a result of lower attendances, which led to a loss on ordinary...

M&C to operate Blades' hotel as promotion costs weigh.(Sport News)
December 1, 2006... Sheffield United FC announced that it has signed an agreement with Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C) to operate a hotel at its Bramall Lane stadium. The 149-room four-star hotel, which received planning approval in March, is set to open...

Ladbrokes trade dips as it eves new markets.(Betting & Gaming News)
December 1, 2006... Ladbrokes, the UK gaming operator, said that current trading was satisfactory, and it was optimistic about its growth strategy for e-gaming and international markets. However, the company remained close-lipped about its purported bid for...

888 reoorts Q3 trading on track but is sale on the cards?(Betting & Gaming News)
December 1, 2006... 888, the online gaming company, would not be drawn on speculation it was close to a deal to sell the business to Ladbrokes, as it provided a trading update for Q3 2006 and cumulative results for the nine months to 30 September. The firm...

Supercasino decision delayed.(Betting & Gaming News)(Casino Advisory Panel)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Casino Advisory Panel's (CAP) decision on the location for the UK's first super casino has been delayed until January 2007. The panel was due to present its recommendation to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in December, but...

Gaming Corp to sell casino arm.(Betting & Gaming News)
December 1, 2006... Gaming Corporation, the online conglomerate, announced it is seeking a buyer for its online and mobile gaming business. The company is looking to sell the business, which incorporates the www.casino.co.uk brand, because it believes the recent...

Playtech to buy poker network.(Tribeca)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Playtech, the gambling software developer, announced the acquisition of its competitor Tribeca for $75m (39.4m [pounds sterling]). Tribeca is a software designer for well-known online poker operators and a developer of online poker communities....

Jowell calls for stricter laws on online gaming.
December 1, 2006... Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, has called for an international online gambling blueprint in order to protect children from betting on the internet. The appeal was launched at a gaming industry conference in Ascot attended by officials...

Ritz Casino hits Barclay brother's profits.
December 1, 2006... The Barclay brothers made a 1.2m [pounds sterling] loss last year on their hotels and property empire, which includes the Ritz Casino in London, after posting a 27m [pounds sterling] profit in 2004. The blow was softened by a revaluation of the...

Gaming VC CEO resigns.
December 1, 2006... Gaming VC, the online gaming company, has announced it is looking for a new chief executive, after Steve Barlow, decided to step down from the post. Barlow, who resigned in November, will remain as an unpaid non-executive director. Gerard...

Top Ten reports sharp fall in pre-tax profits.(Top Ten Holdings)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Top Ten Holdings, the third-largest bingo club operator in the UK, has announced that its half-year pre-tax profits dropped to 900,000 [pounds sterling], compared with 1.4m [pounds sterling] during the same period in 2005. The company said...

Intralot does battle with Camelot.(Betting & Gaming News)
December 1, 2006... Greek gaming company Intralot is preparing to take on the current UK National Lottery operator Camelot, for Britain's new lottery licence, which is due for renewal in 2009. The company, led by tycoon Socrates Kokkalis, has already secured...

ATR signs deal with US sports network.(Betting & Gaming News)
December 1, 2006... At The Races (ATR), the dedicated horseracing channel, has signed a long-term reciprocal agreement with TVG, the market-leading broadcaster of live horseracing in the US, and account wagering operator. The partnership agreement also...

London Eye numbers up.
December 1, 2006... Britain's most popular paid-for visitor attraction, the London Eye, saw its sales hit hard by last year's bombings. Sales slipped in the year to the end of December 2005 to 37.6m [pounds sterling], down from 38.5m [pounds sterling] a year...

Stonehenge is a "mess".(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Stonehenge's reputation as a tourist attraction took a beating when it was described as % mess" in a new survey. The ancient monument scored only 56 out of 100, and was described as % crowded, noisy environment" where the monument's aesthetic...

Overseas visitors increase.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The number of trips made to the UK by overseas visitors reached 8 million in the third quarter, despite the 7 July bombings, according to the Office for National Statistics. The figure was an increase of I% on the previous quarter and 10% of...

240m [pounds sterling] theme park for Sicily.
December 1, 2006... Sicily is close to becoming the site for southern Italy's first major theme park. The park, which is awaiting final approval, will be located at the island's centre, 37 miles from Catania. The 280ha park is expected to cost 624m [euro] (420m...

Merlin outlines three key reasons behind its Gardaland purchase.(Merlin Entertainments, Gardaland Resort Hotel )
December 1, 2006... Merlin Entertainments, Europe's leading visitor attraction operator, confirmed the acquisition of Italy's top theme park, Gardaland, including the 247-room Gardaland Resort Hotel for an undisclosed sum, believed to be in the region of 500m...

Euro Disney cuts losses.(Tourism & Attractions News)
December 1, 2006... Euro Disney narrowed its full-year net loss 73.1m [euro] (48.9m [pounds sterling]) from 92m [euro] in the previous year and said that it expected to remain afloat in 2007. The company said that it believed it had complied with...

Rainforest attraction plan for Blackpool.(Tourism & Attractions News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... A slice of the endangered Ecuadorian rainforest could be replicated in an Eden Project-style visitor attraction planned for Blackpool. The 150ft high, six-acre structure would feature waterfalls, balsa trees and rare orchids. ...

Bowplex strikes right note with Xmas bookings.(Cinema & Entertainments News)(Bowlplex)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... UK leisure operator Bowlplex has reported strong figures for its Christmas party bookings as the popularity of tenpin bowling grows. Dorset-based Bowlplex announced that its Christmas party bookings are 20% higher than in any year to date....

Georgica announces drop in sales.(Cinema & Entertainments News)
December 1, 2006... Georgica, the leisure group, has announced a 2.0% drop in same outlet sales for the 39 weeks to 1 October 2006 compared to the 39 weeks to 25 September 2005. The firm also confirmed that all bid talks with potential suitors had come to an...

Future of Cineworld estate undecided.(Cinema & Entertainments News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The future of the Cineworld chain was the subject of much speculation last month, with some reports suggesting that Odeon and Vue, two of Britain's biggest cinema chains, have teamed up to launch a 300m [pounds sterling] bid. The Financial...

Cinema group up for sale?(Cinema & Entertainments News)
December 1, 2006... The Screen Cinemas group, which has seven sites in London and the Home Counties, is seeking to find a buyer for its estate, valued at up to 10m [pounds sterling], according to a recent report in The Sunday Times. Screen Cinemas has hired...

Ultimate acquires two Belfast bars.(Cinema & Entertainments News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Ultimate Leisure, the Newcastle-based late-night operator, has acquired two bars from Life Inns, the Belfast-based company, for 1.4m [pounds sterling]. The acquisition of the two city centre bars, The Potthouse and The Advocate, takes...

New Elbow Room model is cued up to break off UK franchise plan.(Cinema & Entertainments News)(Elbow Room)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Elbow Room, the UK's leading chain of upscale pool bars, is launching a franchise model. The new concept will be targeted at high street operators with an under-performing room or floor that can be refurbished and rebranded as The...

Coffee Republic sets its sights on the family leisure marketplace.(Food & Drink News)
December 1, 2006... Coffee Republic, the UK coffee and dell bar operator, said it had reached an agreement with CR Direct to develop Coffee Republic branded coffee and dell operations within Family Entertainment Centres (FECs) across the UK. The company said...

Seminole could lead Hard Rock Cafe bidding.(Food & Drink News)
December 1, 2006... Seminole Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos, a hotel chain backed by a Native American tribe, is leading the bidding for Rank Group's Hard Rock Cafe chain, which is valued at close to 500m [pounds sterling], according to reports. Seminole, which...

Burger King sees profit increase.(Food & Drink News)
December 1, 2006... Burger King has reported an 82% increase in first quarter profits. The company said the increase was driven by growth in North America. Net income rose to $40m (21m [pounds sterling]) up from $22m a year earlier. Comparable sales rose 2.6%...

M&S to rollout Simply Food with BP.(Food & Drink News)
December 1, 2006... Marks & Spencer, the clothing and food retailer, is to rollout its M&S Simply Food concept in BP forecourt locations after successful trials. Announcing interim results, the company said it thought there was an opportunity in 200 BP...

UK organic food market to quadruple by 2010.(Food & Drink News)
December 1, 2006... The organic food market in the UK is expected to grow to be worth 2.7bn [pounds sterling] by 2010, more than four times its market value in 2000, according to research from Datamonitor. The UK market for organic food was valued at 1.6bn...

Greggs cooks up a slight rise in like-for-like sales.(Greggs PLC)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Greggs, the high street sandwich chain, has reported a 0.2% increase in like-for-like sales for the 19 weeks to 28 October 2006. This represents a slight improvement on the 0.6% decline the company reported for the first half of its financial...

Arena launches catering division.(Food & Drink News)
December 1, 2006... Arena Leisure has announced the creation of a new catering division to run the catering activities across seven of its racecourses. The company said it set up Arena Leisure Catering because catering is a core element of the racing customer...

Icy north to get even colder with new scheme for Widnes ice rink.(Widnes Regeneration)
December 1, 2006... Widnes Regeneration, a joint venture regeneration company set up by Halton Borough Council and St. Modwen Properties, has announced plans for a large new leisure development featuring a cinema and an ice rink. The company has signed up the...

Multibuild completes new casino fit-out.(Property & Development News)
December 1, 2006... Multibuild has completed a prestigious new casino fit-out project from one of the UK's leading casino operators. The construction and fit-out contractor was awarded the 2.5m [pounds sterling] project by Grosvenor Casinos, part of the Rank...

Wolverhampton to benefit from 12.5m [pounds sterling] complex.(Property & Development News)
December 1, 2006... DC Leisure's new Wolverhampton leisure complex is almost complete, on time and on budget, fourteen months after the construction work began. The city's 12.5m [pounds sterling] complex is being built under a PFI scheme, which DC Leisure,...

Livingstone's children's play plans welcomed by industry bodies.(Property & Development News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Play England, the national body to promote children's play, has welcomed a new policy measure by the Mayor of London which it believes could transform play opportunities for children, young people and families in the capital. Play England is...

UK SMEs lead EU growth but leisure firms are 'least optimistic'.(Industry News)
December 1, 2006... In spite of the recent interest rate rises and utility increases, small and mid market firms in the UK still have the most positive growth outlook across Europe, according to a study commissioned by GE Commercial Finance, the business to...

National skills academy moves a step closer.(hospitality industry )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The hospitality sector is through to the next stage of the process under which the government is hoping to open 12 national skills academies, across a variety of sectors, by the end of 2008. It now has six months to draw up a detailed...

Chip & PIN helps cut fraud.(Industry News)
December 1, 2006... The use of chip & PIN technology, which British customers have been required to use since February, has led to a 5% decrease in credit card and other fraud. Card fraud fell from 219.5m [pounds sterling] in the first half of 2005 to 209.3m...

Experian reports a rise in failed hotel and leisure companies.(Industry News)
December 1, 2006... Business failures in the hotel and leisure sector in the UK rose by 28.7% in the third quarter of 2006 compared to the same period last year, according to a survey by Experian. The business services sector was the worst hit, with 980...

China: a mixture of giant strides and baby steps: David Minton's special report from the World Leisure Congress in China.(Insight)(Event overview)
December 1, 2006... Fireworks lit the night sky in Hangzhou, the host city to the World Leisure Congress in 2006. Hangzhou is 230km from Shanghai and in Chinese terms is a small city, with a current population of 'around' five million which will expand to 'around'...

Parker pens the changes as Whitbread's story unfolds: Dominic Walsh analyses Whitbread as the Starwood Capital rumours build.(Behind the headlines: Whitbread)
December 1, 2006... Shortly after he became chief executive of Whitbread a couple of years ago, Alan Parker insisted that a break-up of the leisure conglomerate was not on his agenda, declaring: "Major structural change is not required." Well, if that's the...

Impact of leisure industry changes on planning and real estate: CMS Cameron McKenna brings you up to date with the latest legal issues facing the sector.(Business Sense: Legal)
December 1, 2006... As a world capital city, London revels in the myriad of night-time leisure activities that it has to offer, and most large regional cities across the UK are not far behind. The 21st-Century lifestyle has brought with it a night-time economy...

More than just child's play: as the hype surrounding the obesity epidemic grows, Abigail Harris and Emma-Jayne Sherry look at the benefits children's activity programmes can have on youngsters and the community.(Feature: Children's gyms)
December 1, 2006... Obesity is a hot topic at the moment and everyone is talking about kid's fitness and its role in combating the couch potato culture and motivating the Xbox generation to get up and get active. But according to Inspector Mat Newton from Kent...

Lords of the mid-market: Duncan Rowe talks to some of the key figures at Berwin Leighton Paisner.(Sponsor profile: Berwin Leighton Paisner)
December 1, 2006... Have you ever reflected on the differing ways in which lawyers are regarded? In the US, the general public shudder at the very mention of the word, and the creators of 'The Simpsons' portrayed Lisa carrying a book on copyright law for a...

Barclays.(Mike Saul, Tim Helliwell and Nell Parry appointed)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Barclays has unveiled Nell Parry as the new head of its hospitality and leisure team. Parry joins from within Barclays business banking, following three years as deputy head of business services. He was previously a relationship director, and...

The Hilton Hotel Corporation.(People on the move)
December 1, 2006... The Hilton Hotel Corporation (HHC) has appointed Keith Burnet as vice president of fitness and spa. Burnet, who will be based in the company's international operations centre in Watford, will be responsible for the introduction and development...

The Sports & Leisure Group.(David Bernstein appointed)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Sports & Leisure Group, the developer and operator of multi-sports and leisure facilities, announced the appointment of David Bernstein to the board as non-executive chairman, with immediate effect. Bernstein holds non-executive roles with...

London Clubs International.(People on the move)
December 1, 2006... London Clubs International announced that, following its acquisition by Dagger Holdings, a subsidiary of Harrah's Entertainment, Michael Beckett, non-executive chairman, and non-executive directors Ron Hobbs and Martin Watson resigned from...

OFT.(Jonathan May joined Office of Fair Trading)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The OFT has announced the appointment of Jonathan May to the post of executive director of policy and strategy. He has also been appointed by the secretary of state for Trade and Industry to the OFT board. May joined the OFT at the end of...

Kempton Park.(Paul Fisher appointed)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Kempton Park has announced that Paul Fisher is the new managing director of the racecourse, having taken over from Julian Thick, who has becomes managing director of Sandown Park. Fisher knows the horse racing industry well, having been finance...

William Hill said that Tom Singer, an executive director and chief operating officer, has stepped down with immediate effect.(People on the move)
December 1, 2006... William Hill said that Tom Singer, an executive director and chief operating officer, has stepped down with immediate effect. This follows a review of the company's key executive roles, and will involve David Harding assimilating Singer's...

Lifetime.(People on the move)
December 1, 2006... Lifetime has appointed Cheryl Newton and Rickie Siggins as assessors, to manage the increasing number of students following its work based learning programmes. Newton began her career as a fitness coach before working her way up through various...

Luminar.(David Haimes appointed as Brendan McLoughlin quit from Luminar Leisure)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Luminar said that Brendan McLoughlin, commercial development director, has decided to leave the company and will stand down from the Board with effect from 30 November 2006. McLoughlin has worked for Luminar for 17 years in a number of...

Women's Sports Foundation.(Sue Tibballs joined)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Women's Sports Foundation has welcomed its new chief executive, Sue Tibballs. As a new member of the WSF team, Tibballs brings her experience as a campaigner in the voluntary sector; as a consultant to government and the United Nations; as...

888.(People on the move)
December 1, 2006... 888 named Jon Sumroy as its new chief marketing officer, with effect from 15 December. Sumroy has been managing director of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Division, in Israel, since 2002, leading the division through a complete restructuring.

Gamingking.(People on the move)
December 1, 2006... Gamingking has appointed with immediate effect Mark White, as an executive director to the board. White, a qualified management accountant formerly worked for Mencap. Prior to that he was a financial director for Cowells Arrow UK, a printing...

Associated British Ports.(People on the move)
December 1, 2006... Associated British Ports said that Richard Adam, finance director, has decided to move on from ABP to pursue other interests, with effect from 1 March 2007. The process to identify a new finance director will now commence.

LR index leisure stockwatch November 2006.(Sharewatch)
December 1, 2006... November was, on the whole, a better month for listed leisure firms, albeit from a dreadful comparative. 888, listed at the top of the index, deservedly clawed back some ground as continued speculation linked the firm with a buyout bid from...

Diary dates: December.(Calendar)
December 1, 2006... November Event: BISL Conference Date: 30 Location: Royal Lancaster Hotel, London, UK Description: The Business In Sport & Leisure Conference brings together the cream of the industry, to debate issues affecting operators in...