Leisure Report articles from June 2008

Leisure Report archives from June 2008

FIA gets serious on health.(Fitness Industry Association)
June 1, 2008... The Fitness Industry Association has pledged to deliver more than 200m [pounds sterling] of industry investment, to help the government deliver its public health goals. The announcement to double any government investment designed to 'Get...

Problem gambling funding 'must double'.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Brian Pomeroy, Gambling Commission chairman, has warned that current levels of funding to deal with the issue of problem gambling are insufficient, and suggested that they will need to double, from the current 4.7m [pounds sterling] a year to a...

The shape of things to come.(Inside track)
June 1, 2008... There are moments in the cycle of every industry where one feels one is on the cusp of a momentous event, such as a piece of legislation that will change everything, for better or worse, or the launch of a new concept or idea that you feel for...

Football betting helps Ladbrokes score profits.(Breaking news)
June 1, 2008... A strong performance from its football betting division helped Ladbrokes push up profits in the four months to 30 April 2008. The group said it had "continued to make good progress during the period" with profits, excluding those from from...

Rank names Phil Urban as managing director of casinos arm.(Breaking news)
June 1, 2008... The Rank Group has appointed Phil Urban, former managing director of Whitbread's pub and restaurants division, as managing director of its casinos business. Urban will head up Rank's Grosvenor Casinos operations, replacing Peter McCann....

PartyGaming gets new CEO.(Breaking news)(Jim Ryan)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Jim Ryan has been appointed as the new chief executive of PartyGaming--but on a vastly lower salary than his two predecessors. Technology expert Ryan is currently chief executive of St Minver, the network services provider acquired by...

The energie Group buys 30-strong Motorcise estate.(Breaking news)
June 1, 2008... UK operator energie Fitness for Women has announced the purchase of 30 plus Motorcise Healthy Living Centres, to add to its group of franchised women-only fitness clubs. The Motorcise businesses were insolvent and had been put into...

WorldSpreads lists on IEX.(Breaking news)(Irish Stock Exchange)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... WorldSpreads Group, Ireland's leading financial spread trading company, has listed its shares on the Irish Stock Exchange's IEX market. The IEX listing follows the flotation of the company on the AIM market in London in August 2007....

ADDleisure sees improvement in performance.(News: Health & fitness)
June 1, 2008... ADDleisure, the AIM-listed health and fitness product developer, unveiled across-the-board improvements during the six months to 31 January 2008. Group revenues were up 122% to 1.3m [pounds sterling] (2007: 0.59m [pounds sterling]),...

Spa sector reports 6% year-on-year growth.(News: Health & fitness)
June 1, 2008... Since the beginning of April 2007, there has been a 6% increase in the number of Spas operating in the UK according to the newly-published 2008 State of the UK Spa Industry Report. This report into spa sector growth, undertaken for SPATEC by...

Precor signs up energie fitness.(News: Health & fitness)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Fitness club franchise operator energie fitness clubs has signed a new deal with Precor to supply equipment to both its new and refurbished sites over the next four years. The deal covers both the energie fitness clubs and energie personal...

TLDC plans new fitness data survey.(News: Health & fitness)
June 1, 2008... The Leisure Database Company (TLDC) has announced plans to launch a new Market Monitor service "designed by the industry for the industry". Operators are being invited to get involved and help shape the initiative. Consultation documents...

SHOKK signs Sunderland deal.(News: Health & fitness)
June 1, 2008... Sunderland City Council has partnered with SHOKK to enhance the youth activity provision across the region. Children using Biddick School Sports College, Hetton School and The Raich Carter Sports Centre, will all benefit from the...

Government gives the go-ahead to new National Skills Academy.(News: Sport)
June 1, 2008... The government has made a significant commitment to improving skills by giving the go ahead on a National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure. The move promises to improve the standard of coaching across England, giving athletes...

Sport England relaunches Sportsmatch.(News: Sport)
June 1, 2008... Sport England has announced a new web-based facility for its relaunched Sportsmatch funding facility, enabling applicants to apply online. Designed to encourage new or additional sponsorship investment from businesses, trusts and private...

Wembley posts 21m [pounds sterling] loss.(News: Sport)(Financial report)
June 1, 2008... Wembley Stadium made a 21.4m [pounds sterling] loss in its first year and ran up pre-tax interest payments of 31.9m [pounds sterling] on loans, it has been revealed. Wembley National Stadium is banking on events like American football and...

Pantheon eyes schools sport rollout.(News: Sport)
June 1, 2008... Pantheon Leisure, the AIM-quoted company formed to acquire businesses in the leisure sector, said it is preparing for a national launch of its trading subsidiary--Elms Sport in Schools--which is designed to offers children innovative ways to...

Leisure & Gaming narrows losses and predicts 2008 profitability.(News: Betting & gaming)
June 1, 2008... Online betting and gaming firm Leisure & Gaming unveiled preliminary results for the year to 31 December 2007 which showed a reduced full-year pretax loss, adding that current trading is in line with its expectations, and it sees profitable...

Paddy Power to top targets.(News: Betting & gaming)
June 1, 2008... Bookmaker Paddy Power said it was confident of beating market forecasts for 2008, as top line growth more than offset continuing adverse foreign exchange movements. Fintan Drury, chairman, told delegates at the company's Annual General...

Rank sees 'slower decline' in bingo as Blue Square excels.(News: Betting & gaming)(Rank Group)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Rank Group has slowed the decline in its revenues after fighting back against the smoking ban. The company said expansion into Spain and into other forms of interactive gambling had also helped offset revenue falls at its core bingo...

Sportingbet to cut head office costs.(News: Betting & gaming)
June 1, 2008... Sportingbet, the online gaming operator, said it was confident of meeting market expectations for the full year, as it unveiled plans to cut staff numbers in its head office. In a market update, ahead of the announcement of its...

BCA warns of 'casino crisis' as venues close.(News: Betting & gaming)
June 1, 2008... Gambling industry leaders are calling on the government to react after it was revealed that seven casinos have closed in recent months. Gala Coral has shut two casinos in Nottingham and Glasgow and while Grosvenor has wound up operations in...

NETeller pleased with progress.(News: Betting & gaming)
June 1, 2008... Online payments specialist Neteller said it is pleased with the progress made in the year to date. Trading in the first month has "shown promising signs" with April's fee revenue at $3.8m, an increase of 15% from March's comparable figure....

888 signs with Electracade.(News: Betting & gaming)
June 1, 2008... 888, the online gaming entertainment company, has signed a strategic agreement with Electracade, an interactive gaming content provider. Under the agreement, 888 will gain access to a portfolio of over 100 games with unique gaming concepts...

Probability in film deal.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Probability, the AIM-listed mobile phone casino, slots and bingo specialist, has entered into a contract to license three classic movie properties from Paramount Mobile Entertainment. Probability will initially develop mobile phone slot...

Neville Porter seeks CVAs.(company voluntary agreements)(Antony Batty & Company LLP)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Neville Porter, the troubled bookmaker, announced that it has appointed Antony Batty & Company LLP, licensed insolvency practitioners, to propose company voluntary agreements (CVA) for the company and its two subsidiaries after it conducted a...

Underperforming UK casinos weigh on Genting.
June 1, 2008... Genting International, the conglomerate which owns the former Stanley Leisure casinos, has reported a 14% fall in revenues for the first quarter of 2008 to S$168.8m (62.9m [pounds sterling]), following a S$28.6m fall in revenues from the...

Thomas shrugs off recession fears as Luminar unveils LFLs up 1.6%.(News: Cinema & entertainments)(like-for-like sales )(Financial report)
June 1, 2008... Luminar, the nightclub group led by Stephen Thomas, has reported a 1.6% increase in like-for-like sales for the financial year to February 28. The like-for-like analysis included 71 nightclubs--of which 44 were the branded clubs like...

Cineworld poised to deliver strong profits.(News: Cinema & entertainments)(Cineworld Group)(Financial report)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Cineworld Group, the UK-listed operator, said it expected first-half revenues to be "comfortably ahead" of the corresponding period a year earlier. In an interim management statement for the 17 week trading period to 24 April 2008,...

Rose pulls out of Lucky Voice deal.(News: Cinema & entertainments)(Stuart Rose)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sir Stuart Rose, executive chairman of Marks & Spencer, has been forced to pull out of his investment in the karaoke concept Lucky Voice due to a conflict of interest. Rose has sold his 100,000 [pounds sterling]...

Lap-dancing trade body launched to put best practice in pole position.(News: Cinema & entertainments)
June 1, 2008... A new trade association representing the interests of lap-, table- and pole-dancing club operators has been launched in a bid to create a unified voice for the growing sector. The Lap Dancing Association (LDA)--whose members include...

Merlin's aggressive growth plans continue with two new deals.(News: Tourism & attractions)
June 1, 2008... Merlin Entertainments Group, the world's second-largest visitor attraction operator, continues to forge ahead with its expansion plans, announcing the formation of a strategic alliance with Tatweer, a member of Dubai Holdings, to create...

London tops international destinations.(News: Tourism & attractions)
June 1, 2008... London remains the number one city destination in the world for international travel, according to provisional numbers from the Office of National Statistics. The results, show a record 16.1 million overseas visitors to the capital last...

Walt Disney posts $1.1bn Q2 profit.(News: Tourism & attractions)(Financial report)
June 1, 2008... The Walt Disney Co has reported overall operating profit up 21.3% year-on-year at $2.14bn (1.07bn [pounds sterling]) for its second quarter, and a 22% rise in net profit to $1.1bn for the three months to 29 March 2008. Second-quarter...

Starbucks signs 10-site deal with Village.(News: Food & drink)
June 1, 2008... Starbucks has announced plans to open 10 new coffee houses in hotels owned by Village Hotels and Leisure. The first coffee house is located in the new Village Hotel in Ashton Moss, which opened last month. Further openings are planned...

Bar Sport plans to roll out 100 new franchises by 2013.(News: Food & drink)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Bar Sport, the fledgling entertainment bar group, is to launch a franchise model of the brand, with 100 sites set to open within the next three to five years, Leisure Report has learned. The four-strong Midlands-based company, which is...

Burger King tops expectations.(News: Food & drink)
June 1, 2008... Burger King has posted better-than-expected earnings and raised its full-year profit forecast. But the fast food giant said costs related to a restaurant renovation program would weigh down margins in the current quarter. The...

Greggs posts 4.7% rise in LFLs.(News: Food & drink)(like-for-like sales)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Greggs, the high street sandwich chain, has reported a 4.7% increase in like-for-like sales for the 19 weeks to 10 May 2008, hit by a tightening in consumer spending. The company said that while sales grew 6.2% during the first 10 weeks of...

More outlets for Coffee Republic.(News: Food & drink)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Coffee Republic, the coffee and dell bar operator, has announced plans to expand its company-owned outlets, with a focus on shopping and leisure centres. The group, which has just over 100 stores in the UK, had previously appeared to be...

SnOasis given planning go-ahead.(News: Property & development)
June 1, 2008... SnOasis, the 350m [pounds sterling] project to include the world's largest indoor ski slope, has been approved by the secretary of state for Communities and Local Government, subject to the resolution of a Section 106 Agreement. The winter...

20m [pounds sterling] Sunderland Aquatic Centre opens.(News: Property & development)
June 1, 2008... The 20m [pounds sterling] Sunderland Aquatic Centre opened to the public last month, and has already been earmarked as a potential training camp for the 2012 Olympic Games. Developed by Sunderland City Council, the site is the first 50m...

2.6m [pounds sterling] refit programme for Central YMCA.(News: Property & development)(Young Men's Christian Associations)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... The Central YMCA Club in London is to undergo a 2.6m [pounds sterling] redevelopment programme. The work, which is aimed at increasing the membership base of the club, will transform the centre's health and fitness facilities. New family...

Work commences on Olympic stadium.
June 1, 2008... Building work on London's Olympic stadium was due to begin as Leisure Report went to press. Construction on the 496m [pounds sterling] stadium in east London was due to start on 22 May. The 80,000-seat stadium will be the centrepiece for the...

HLM Architects wins Lewisham contract.
June 1, 2008... HLM Architects, in association with Limbrick Limited Architecture & Design, has been appointed by London Borough of Lewisham, to carry out concept design options for the replacement of Forest Hill Pools. The design solution will consider a...

North Lines council consults on venue.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... North Lincolnshire Council is looking for partnerships to aid in investment, design, construction and operating of a new entertainments venue is being planned for Scunthorpe. Plans are afoot to transform a disused entertainment site called The...

Leisure pound comes under further pressure.(News: Industry)(Report)
June 1, 2008... A new report by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) predicts the consumer credit crunch will cause household spending to slow down in 2008. The report predicts that household spending will hit the buffers in the...

BISL voices concern over national minimum wage debate.(News: Industry)
June 1, 2008... Business in Sport and Leisure (BISL) has expressed its concern that ongoing political wrangling over the 10p income tax rate risks turning the National Minimum Wage (NMW) into a political pawn. The sport and leisure industry body said it...

Cotton to chair sector skills academy.(News: Industry)
June 1, 2008... Bob Cotton, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, has been appointed as the chairman of the recently-approved National Skills Academy for Hospitality. The hospitality sector was given the go ahead last month to launch a...

ADZ regulations scrape through.(News: Industry)
June 1, 2008... The government has narrowly avoided having its controversial plans for Alcohol Disorder Zones (ADZs) derailed. Despite opposition from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, a committee of MPs approved the draft ADZ regulations by eight votes...

A Serb and volley game: David Minton reports from the Balkans, where a production line is producing tennis stars in great numbers despite a lack of basic infrastructure.(Insight)(Column)
June 1, 2008... The shock waves from the explosion made everyone jump, and our thoughts immediately turned to the unstable nature of the region. On the news that evening we heard the epicentre of the blast was around 80 miles away and rescue teams had been...

The immigration shake-up: the new immigration system has onerous implications for the hospitality sector when it comes to employing migrant workers, says CMS Cameron McKenna's Jayanti Mitra-Valdes.(Legal: Immigration)
June 1, 2008... The new civil and criminal sanctions to counteract illegal working are of special relevance to the leisure industry, which employs a high proportion of migrant workers. Illegal working has been high on the political agenda for some time,...

Rolling the dice: Harvey Chipkin reports from Las Vegas, where hotel executives are finding that the town has come a long way from drunken Elvis-themed weddings.(Insight: Las Vegas)
June 1, 2008... I attend many hospitality conferences--and listen to a lot of speeches. It's a tribute to this industry that many speakers are impressive--dynamic, knowledgeable, forward-thinking. But I must admit that in recent years, two speeches stand...

Tote-al confusion: the Tote sale drags on, with each week bringing fresh rumours of behind-the-scenes deals, new bids and political wrangling--but who will win June's auction, asks David Carey.(Insight: The Tote sale)
June 1, 2008... The government's attempts to sell the Tote has continued to drag on over the last few months, and although there has been no shortage of interested parties, the likelihood of a clear winner emerging had receded of late, until the government...

Fitness market defies slowdown: the 2008 State of the Industry Report provides some surprisingly upbeat figures, which indicate the beginning of a shift in customers' perception.(Insight: 2008 State of the Industry report)(Industry overview)(Report)
June 1, 2008... UK fitness consumers are maintaining their gym memberships as a 'need to have' expenditure rather than a 'nice to have' the Fitness Industry Association (FIA) said at the launch of their three year strategy on 14 May, in Westminster. ...

Watch the birdie: Jonathan Endersby debates whether the environmental consequences of adding golf developments to your offering can be balanced against the increase in revenue they bring in.(Insight: Golf and the environment)
June 1, 2008... Golf tourism is a lucrative market which can bring in huge revenues not only to golf course owners, but also to the surrounding communities. Research by Visit Scotland has found that golfers spend "double that of other tourists, with 5 [pounds...

HPL in pole position: Ian Jarrett reports from Singapore, where the tourism market is hoping to capitalise on the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix--Asia's first street race and the first night race in F1 history.(Insight: Formula 1 and tourism)
June 1, 2008... Tourist destinations showing their wares at ATM are generally left in awe by the host country, which each year has a bigger and more spectacular product to show off, whether it's the man-made Palm Islands, the world's biggest shopping mall, an...

Return to Center: Dominic Walsh examines the resurgent fortunes of Center Parcs, which has flourished since Blacktone took the company off the public markets.(Insight: Behind the headlines)(The Blackstone Group)(Company overview)
June 1, 2008... So much for the concept of evil private equity giants cost-cutting, sacking and asset-stripping their way to massive profits. In the two years since it bought Center Parcs for 265m [pounds sterling], Blackstone Group has spent a further 825m...

LR index leisure stockwatch May 2008.(Sharewatch)(Leisure Report)(Statistical table)
June 1, 2008... If a week is a long time in politics, a month on the markets must equate to a very long time indeed. But despite last week's comments by Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, which suggested a UK-wide recession was not only unavoidable...

Associated British Ports (ABP).(People on the move)(appointment of Roger Arundale and Graham Tetley)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Associated British Ports (ABP) announced the appointment of Roger Arundale as deputy port manager, East Anglia, and Graham Tetley as assistant port manager, East Anglia. Arundale spent six years as assistant port manager and personnel...

Whitbread.(People on the move)(appointment of Stephen Williams)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Whitbread unveiled the appointment of Stephen Williams as a non-executive director. He joined the board with effect from 27 April. Williams is general counsel and chief legal officer of Unilever, where he has worked for 22 years. He is...

Arena Leisure.(People on the move)(appointment of Antony Harris)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Antony Harris has joined Arena Leisure as its new finance director. Harris is the former chief financial officer of The UNITE Group and prior to that, vice president finance (Europe & Africa, and Nordic regions) at Hilton International. He took...

Gladstone.(People on the move)
June 1, 2008... Gladstone, the AIM-listed provider of software solutions and services to the leisure and education markets, has appointed Robert Howard Critchlow as a non-executive director. Since 2000 Critchlow has held a portfolio of board-level positions at...

Serco Leisure.(People on the move)(Andy King )(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Following a successful 12 months as group operations manager, Andy King has been promoted to operations director for Serco Leisure and as such takes his place on the board. After two years of business consolidation King is "delighted with his...

Freedomleisure.(People on the move)
June 1, 2008... Freedomleisure, the largest provider of community leisure in Sussex, has appointed Lesley Clare as head of HR. Clare is a chartered member of the CIPD, and has experience within the service and retail sectors, most recently with BAE systems,...

Deep Sea Leisure.(People on the move)
June 1, 2008... Deep Sea Leisure said Michael Denny, non-executive director, has resigned from the board with immediate effect. Denny's resignation follows the firm's de-listing on 13 May 2008.

Diary dates: June.(Appointments)(Calendar)
June 1, 2008... Month Event: Grass Roots Football Live Date: 31 May-l June Location: NEC, Birmingham, UK Description: Trade show for those involved in football; operators, coaches & managers, referees, club officials, club chairmen,...