Leisure Report articles from January 2006

Leisure Report archives from January 2006

RFU agrees 70m [pounds sterling] development loan.(Rugby Football Union)
January 1, 2006... The Rugby Football Union announced it has reached an agreement with Barclays Professional Sports Team to provide a 20m [pounds sterling] funding facility for the 100m [pounds sterling] South Stand development project at Twickenham Stadium, and...

Blades cut into Chinese football market.(Sheffield United had acquired the Chengdu Five Bull Football Club from China )
January 1, 2006... Sheffield United, which styles itself as a football, property and leisure services business, revealed it had acquired the Chengdu Five Bull Football Club, from China. United, which plays in the UK Championship, said the price paid was "not...

Is round the clock leisure a reality?(Inside track)
January 1, 2006... Graeme Aymer's thought-provoking article about the emerging 24-hour economy in this issue raises some serious questions about how we look at leisure customers. New research (figures on p9) shows that even now, many visitor attractions are...

First-half membership surge helps De Vere's fitness arm keep in shape.
January 1, 2006... Reporting preliminary results for the year ended 25 September 2005, De Vere Group said that sharp rises in membership in the first six months had lifted performance across its leisure divisions. At the group's Village Hotels and Leisure...

Next Generation on sale at 200m [pounds sterling].(Next Generation)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Next Generation has appointed UBS to look into strategic options, which could see the chain sold for around 200m [pounds sterling]. Esporta is widely seen as the most likely bidder for the chain, which operates 12 racquets, health and...

Survey finds growing reluctance to use LGA sites.(Survey)
January 1, 2006... A recent nationwide survey compiled by Venue Solutions shows that a visit to a local authority run leisure centre barely enters anyone's itinerary when planning their leisure activities. Over half (59%) of the respondents claimed they never...

Esporta chairman joins Bourne Street.
January 1, 2006... Nick Irens, the chairman of Fsporta, has joined new corporate finance firm Bourne Street Capital as a senior partner. The company, which was founded earlier this year, focuses on the mid-tier leisure market, specialising in fundraising for...

GLL now London's biggest leisure operator.
January 1, 2006... Greenwich Leisure, the social enterprise set up to manage leisure centres in the south London borough, is now the biggest leisure operator in the capital with a 45m [pounds sterling] turnover. All profits are poured back into the business, with...

Life fitness strengthens customer services.(appointment of Jim Field, Eddie Storan and Andy Lambourne )(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Life Fitness has announced three new appointments to its customer delivery team. Jim Field takes up the newly created position of supply chain manager, assuming responsibility order management, planning and logistics throughout the UK. Eddie...

K2 Crawley opens its doors.(Crawley Borough Council leisure centre)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Crawley Borough Council unveiled its new 37m [pounds sterling] multi-purpose leisure centre. Designed by S&P Architects, and operated by DC Leisure, it is home to the only 50m swimming pool in the south east. Funded in the main by the sale of...

UK's most innovative leisure firms rewarded at Leopards.(News: Leopards)
January 1, 2006... The freshest-thinking firms in the UK leisure sector have been rewarded at a gala event--the Leopards--Leisure Report's Innovation Awards 2005, held at the Royal Lancaster hotel in London. Into its second year, the event recognises...

Mecca revenues flat but casinos perform for rank.
January 1, 2006... Rank saw flat bingo revenues from its Mecca UK chain for the year so far, with a 6% drop in the number of customers offset by a 6% rise in the amount each one spent. Revenues from its Grosvenor Casinos chain were up 3%. The company said that it...

Bonus for Paddy Power.
January 1, 2006... Shares in Irish bookies Paddy Power received a "buy" rating after the Irish government halved betting tax from 2% to 1% in last month's Budget. Most branches do not pass the tax on to punters, so the cut will provide an immediate benefit to the...

Betfair moves to placate its investors.
January 1, 2006... Betfair, the online betting exchange, may set up an internal market which would allow existing shareholders to buy each other out following the shelving of a 1bn [pounds sterling] flotation, which has caused some rifts in the group....

Amazing plan for Taiwan.
January 1, 2006... Amazing Holdings, based on the Isle of Man, wants to become the first western company to open a casino resort in Taiwan. Work will begin on a 3m [pounds sterling] hotel-and-casino development next year. The company is now lobbying to change...

Crystal ditches 140m [pounds sterling] float.
January 1, 2006... Crystal Gaming has scrapped a planned 140m [pounds sterling] float and says it is looking at "the strategic options available".

Hills goes Greek.
January 1, 2006... CryptoLogic, a software developer for the internet gaming industry, has launched a new Greek-language internet poker site for William Hill, which is extending the global reach of its online poker service. The offering gives Greek-speaking...

Maiden profit reported at Gaming Corporation as acquisitions pay.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Gaming Corporation, the gaming portal operator, posted its maiden profit when reporting results for the 12 months to 30 September 2005, and said it expected to see further strong growth. Turnover increased 46% to 19m [pounds sterling]...

Harrah's to make European move with Caesars debut.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... US Casino giant Harrah's has sealed a deal that will bring Caesars to Europe, after shelving its ambitious plans for development in the UK in the wake of the Gambling Act. The company has announced that it has reached an agreement with El...

Stanley reports casino recovery.(News: Betting & gaming)
January 1, 2006... Stanley Leisure reported a recovery in fortunes for its casino business, as it said that its first half had been in line with expectations. The group had suffered in the wake of the July bombings in London. In a trading statement...

BETonSPORTS looks to the East.(BETonSPORTS)(Philweb)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... BETonSPORTS, the US and Asian facing online Sportsbook, announced its agreement with Philippine company Philweb to exclusively provide sports betting in the Philippines (excluding soccer) has been approved by the state run Philippine Amusement...

Sponsor nets Ascot 3m [pounds sterling].(News: Betting & gaming)
January 1, 2006... Allied Irish Bank has signed a 2.9m [pounds sterling] five-year sponsorship deal to become one of Ascot racecourse's "founding partners". The course, which reopens next year, hopes to build a tiered family of sponsors, similar to that developed...

Poker giants show stronger hands.(News: Betting & gaming)
January 1, 2006... Following some recent troubles, the picture looked rosier for the power players in the online poker market, as PartyGaming and Sportingbet released upbeat trading figures. Shares in PartyGaming leapt past their offer price, as...

Powerleague Group looking to qualify for European football.(News: Sport)
January 1, 2006... UK five-a-side operator Powerleague is considering a move into the European marketplace, according to its latest trading statement. The UK market leader said trading during the first four months of the financial year had continued to be...

Charlton scores with careful housekeeping.
January 1, 2006... Premiership soccer club Charlton Athletic made a net profit of 1.3m [pounds sterling] last season and enjoyed a 12% increase in matchday revenue. But only the most careful of housekeeping and regular selling of star players has kept them afloat...

Teamwork Karting hopes to establish a chain.
January 1, 2006... Teamwork Karting hopes to set up a chain of upmarket go-karting tracks using environmentally-sound electric vehicles. It will also use cutting-edge lap time technology and "more interesting trackside foods than the usual bag of ships and a...

Watford Leisure narrows operating losses.(Watford Leisure )(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Reporting full-year figures for the 12 months to 30 June, Watford Leisure said it had narrowed last year's overall losses by more than 50%. On static turnover of 8.5m [pounds sterling], the group made a pre-tax loss of 2.1m [pounds sterling],...

Premier League attracts viewers.(News: Sport)
January 1, 2006... Newly-released figures from the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board show the average audience for the 24 matches screened on the main BSkyB channels this season was 1.14m compared with 1.09m for the 30 games shown over the same period of last...

SLEC sells F1 stake to CVC.(News: Sport)
January 1, 2006... CVC Capital Partners has bought SLEC's controlling stake in the Formula One (F1) motor racing series. The deal is thought to be worth about $1bn. SLEC, the vehicle of Bernie Ecclestone and Bayerische Landesbank, held the commercial rights...

Tunnel vision for head of ODA?(News: Sport)
January 1, 2006... Jack Lemley has been appointed chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, the body charged with building the key venues, infrastructure and facilities for the 2012 games, to be held in London. The 70-year-old headed up the group that designed,...

Leisure Report LR index: football stockwatch December 2005.(News: Sport)
January 1, 2006... Mixed fortunes for the listed soccer clubs on the index during December, with Watford Leisure by far the standout performer over the course of the month. A bullish set of results from the Hornets, which showed full-year losses had been cut...

Barfly goes back to market.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Channelfly, the company behind the Barfly chain of live music venues, is preparing to return to the stock market less than three years after it was taken private. The group plans to reverse into Campus media, an AIM-quoted advertising services...

Jongleurs founder to launch new club.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Maria Kempinska, the founder of the Jongleurs comedy clubs, is reported to be planning her own club. Kempinska, who sold the 17-strong chain to Regent Inns in 2000, signed a five-year non-compete clause as part of the deal, which expired in...

Broker builds up Ultimate Leisure stake.
January 1, 2006... Bear Stearns International has built its stake in Ultimate Leisure from 17.07% to 19%. Ultimate Leisure last month confirmed that it made a preliminary indicative approach to Inventive Leisure. The moved sparked rival interest from Regent Inns....

Bowlplex unveils new-look venues as the a-list gives tenpin a boost.(Bowlplex )
January 1, 2006... UK tenpin operator Bowlplex announced the completion of refurbishment work at two of its sites, in Blackburn and Basingstoke. Following a three-month fit-out, and investment of more than 2.7m [pounds sterling] to transform the 34,000 sq ft...

Clutch of senior moves in wake of buyout at Urbium.(Urbium PLC.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Urbium has made a clutch of senior appointments following its 113m [pounds sterling] buyout by Electra Partners. James Spragg joins as commercial director from TGI Friday's. Gillian Maclean joins as operations director from Spirit Group,...

IMAX horror.(News: Sport)
January 1, 2006... The IMAX cinema in Bournemouth has been voted the second ugliest building in Britain. It was built as part of town centre "improvements" during the 1990s, opened in 2002 and closed earlier this year. The cinema was pipped for first place...

London's visitor attraction usage monitor shows continued recovery.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Visit London's monthly London Attraction Monitor for October shows a continued recovery in visitor numbers to the capital's attractions, although visitor figures for most sectors are still down on last year. Overall visits to London...

Center Parks drops on planning delays.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Shares in Center Parcs fell after the group reported a 35% drop in first half profits and said that its Woburn development would be delayed. The Woburn site--the group's fifth development--has been hit by local council delays. The planning...

EuroDisney narrows losses.(News: Tourism)
January 1, 2006... EuroDisney has narrowed its full-year net loss to Eu94.9m from Eu145.2m a year earlier thanks to the financial restructuring plan agreed in February. Turnover for the period rose by 3% to Eu1.076bn, with visitor spending also increasing by...

American Amusements continues family entertainment drive with 14m [pounds sterling] hotel sale.(News: Tourism)
January 1, 2006... American Amusements has sold the Metro Palace Court Hotel in Bournemouth to GSC Property Holdings for 14m [pounds sterling], as it continues its move into the family entertainment centre market. Edward Symmons Hospitality & Leisure acted on...

Consumers returning to timeshare.(News: Tourism)
January 1, 2006... Consumers are showing greater interest in timeshare products, a survey from PricewaterhouseCoopers has found. Demand is being driven by increased interest from branded hotel companies, a focus on mixed-use developments and higher quality,...

'Train seasonal staff' to lift profits.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Attractions must place more emphasis on motivating and training seasonal staff if they are to maximise visitors' secondary spend, according to Andrew Winterbottom, founder of Saturn Projects. According to Winterbottom, short-term staff...

The Sands to set the Benchmark for Scarborough's regeneration.(news:property)(Benchmark Leisure Limited to develop North Bay)
January 1, 2006... The largest development of a seaside resort in recent decades, to turn Scarborough's North Bay into a major attraction, has been submitted for detailed planning permission. Benchmark Leisure Limited, the North Yorkshire-based company behind...

1m [pounds sterling] refit for Bedworth Leisure Centre.(News: Property)
January 1, 2006... SOL West Midlands and Inspirit are on track to complete a 1m [pounds sterling] refurbishment works at the Bedworth fitness and leisure centre, in the Midlands. The new works to the leisure centre are being realised with funding from the...

Bluestone makes a splash.(News: Tourism)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Construction company Bluestone announced the completion of a 6m [pounds sterling] swimming pool and leisure centre refurbishment in Beverley, East Riding. The work to improve Beverley Leisure Complex's facilities included the construction...

Permission granted for Clarence Dock mixed-use development in Leeds.(News: Tourism)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Plans have been confirmed and permission granted for the final buildings at Clarence Dock, Leeds' biggest new mixed-use development. Crosby Group, the site's developer, has released details of retail, leisure and office accommodation at...

Urban Dining to consider sale as leisure site outlets disappoint.(Urban Dining)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Urban Dining, operator of the Tootsies brand, announced that it was considering looking for a buyer, after having decided not to pursue its strategy of becoming a consolidator within the leisure-based restaurant sector. The group...

M&S launches hot food concept.(News: Food & drink)
January 1, 2006... M&S has launched three Hot Food To Go outlets in London, located in Moorgate, Kensington and Hammersmith, and has plans for wider roll out in the New Year. The hot food bars sell sandwiches as well as chips, risotto, soup, pasties and...

McDonald's again rejects restructuring scheme.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... McDonald's has once again rejected restructuring proposals from its US shareholder Pershing Square Capital Management. The group, which holds stock and options worth 4.9%, has suggested an IPO of 65% of McOpCo, the division which operates...

Ever-expanding Starbucks gets Universally festive with Elton.(News: Food & drink)(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2006... Starbucks, the global coffee giant, has teamed up with Elton John and Universal Music, to release a holiday compilation CD. The CD contains 21 festive songs chosen by the pop star, with $2 from every CD going to the Elton John AIDS...

Carluccio's adds non-executive.(News: Food & drink)
January 1, 2006... Carluccio's appointed David Bernstein as non-executive director ahead of its listing on AIM. Bernstein was previously managing director of sportswear company the Pentland Group and chairman of Manchester City. Close Brothers Corporate...

Customers back Costa.
January 1, 2006... Costa has been voted the UK's most popular coffee bar chain according to a YouGov survey. The poll's 30,000 respondents said that Costa was ahead of other chains including Starbucks in terms of customer satisfaction and willingness to...

Compass hires recruiter to find Bailey replacement.
January 1, 2006... Compass has recruited Korn Ferry to find a replacement for departing chief executive Mike Bailey. Possible candidates are thought to include Gary Green, chief executive of the contract caterer's US business and Bill Toner, former head of the UK...

Welcome Break names McKie as new chief.(appointment of Rod McKie )(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Welcome Break has named Rod McKie as its new chief executive, effective immediately. McKie, who was chief operating officer at the group for four years, replaces George Charters, who left to pursue other business interests. McKie's previous...

Hart joins Caffe Nero board.(appointment of Jonathan Hart)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Jonathan Hart, Caffe Nero's UK managing director, has been appointed to the company's board with immediate effect. Hart joined the company in June from Abbey, where he was head of branch distribution. Gerry Ford, the company's chairman, said:...

New sites planned for Le Pain Quotidien.(Le Pain Quotidien open two new branches )(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Belgian patisserie and cafe chain Le Pain Quotidien is set for further growth in London. UK and Ireland MD and franchise holder Philip Le Roux has revealed that that two new branches are set to open. The first will be at Young Street, set to...

More reward for innovation as DTI grant rewards bright ideas.(News: Industry)
January 1, 2006... Brighton-based leisure management consultancy Oxygen Consulting is furthering its relationship with the Department for Trade and Industry to put bright ideas conceived by UK businesses into practice, as part of the DTI's 'Investigating an...

IRS to reprise Operation Gourmet.(news: industry)(Inland Review Service)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs is planning to investigate the catering industry in a reprisal of 2004's Operation Gourmet. HMRC will embark on a new round of enquiries into the tax affairs of chefs and suppliers, initially focusing on...

UK households increase leisure spend.(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... New data from the Office of National Statistics shows the UK is spending more than ever on leisure activities, including fitness, cinemas, dining out and staying in hotels. The ONS polled 6,800 households across the country and found that...

Licensing issues.(News: Industry)(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... An independent review of the new licensing regime recommended that it be simplified. The review panel said that the complexity of the application process had pushed costs above forecasts. The panel said it was too soon to assess if fees were...

New face at OFT.(appointment of Harsha Shewaram )(Brief article)
January 1, 2006... Harsha Shewaram has been appointed as a Director in the OFT's Consumer Regulation Enforcement Legal Division. Shewaram, who qualified as a barrister, has substantial experience in consumer law. She is currently working for the European...

Hospitality puts spotlight on obesity.(News: Industry)
January 1, 2006... Recent research carried out by Beacon, the UK's largest purchasing consortium for the independent hospitality trade, suggests the hospitality industry believes it has a positive role to play to help address concerns about rising obesity, but...

Spinning around the world--but do the shoes fit? David Minton says there needs to be a standard for spin equipment.(group cycling class)
January 1, 2006... Life is hectic for many of us and keeping a balance between work, home and training is difficult at the best of times. Add in a heavy travelling schedule and the normal routine goes out the window. Having completed L'Etape, the public section...

Talent--affordable necessity, or expensive luxury? Stephen Harvard Davis says talent can be nurtured without high costs.(value of top talent to business)
January 1, 2006... In my regular discussions with CEO's and the leaders of large multi-national businesses about the value of top talent to business we will often conclude that: * "A top talent company" means having top talent in all areas of the business....

'Owl' trade sees the light of day: the 24-hour economy is fast-paced and growing, but there are grey areas.(Comment: The 24-hour economy)
January 1, 2006... Ever since Robbie Coltrane burst on to our television screens almost five years ago in a Barclays commercial claiming that "We're all bank managers now", the notion of the 24-hour society has been with us. Today, you don't need to wait for your...

A matter of some convenience: the trend to offer customers new-age loos is key to building revenue stream.
January 1, 2006... Toilets, particularly pub toilets, are one of the great mixed-use leisure venues of our time. They provide a forum for impassioned graffitidriven debate, are a key staging area for those wanting to maintain a Vogue-perfect appearance and,...

Game on for Ongame as BETandWIN deal fires up: the latest consolidation talk will have wide repercussions.(Behind the Headlines: Online gaming)
January 1, 2006... A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Patrik Selin, the chief executive of Ongame, for a morning coffee. We chatted pleasantly for an hour or so about the online gambling market, talked briefly on the subject of the Swedish...

LR index leisure stockwatch December 2005.
January 1, 2006... No doubting the big story in December's stockwatch--as the internet gaming firms received a fillip in the wake of some much-needed positive news. An upbeat trading statement from PartyGaming set the tone for the month, with the news that...

Diary dates: January.(Calendar)
January 1, 2006... Event: GAMBIT forum Date: 11 Location: Auditorium of Cass Business School, City University, London Description: Gambit public event, open forum on TV betting. Chatham House stlye debate, free event but advance booking will be...