Leisure Report articles from March 2006

Leisure Report archives from March 2006

Smoking ban hailed as 'a victory for UK leisure industry co-operation'.
March 1, 2006... Whilst not everyone in the leisure and hospitality industry will be celebrating the total smoking ban in all public places, many in the industry are hailing the decision as a considerable achievement in ensuring 'a level playing field' for...

LA Fitness to buy Crown Sports for 60m [pounds sterling].(LA Fitness International acquires)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... LA Fitness, the UK health and fitness operator led by Fred Turok, has put its strategy to consolidate the value end of the market into motion with the acquisition of Crown Sports, the last remaining listed fitness operator in the UK, in a deal...

All that glisters is not gold ...(Inside track)
March 1, 2006... The recent victory of unknown wannabe Chantelle in this year's 'Celebrity' Big Brother, coupled with the revelation that since stars such as Cameron Diaz have been spotted tenpin bowling, the game's popularity has soared, got me thinking about...

Australia's Betcorp reports strong growth in 'transformational' 2005.
March 1, 2006... Betcorp, the Australian gaming group seeking a listing on the UK's AIM exchange, said 2005 had been a trans-formational year as it saw strong rises in both revenues and profits. Unveiling its final audited results for the year ended 1...

Modern kids are 'half as active'.(Breaking news)
March 1, 2006... Today's children do half as much unplanned exercise as the generation that grew up in the 1970s according too a new survey sponsored by Esporta. According to the study, adults that grew up in the 1970s and 1980s did spontaneous,...

Gambling shares jittery as US Senate ponders prohibition.(Breaking news)
March 1, 2006... Gambling site share prices tumbled as news leaked out that a US senator was preparing an anti-gambling bill. Republican senator Bob Goodlatte has prepared a bill that would make it practically impossible to conduct a financial transaction...

Oddschecker launches mobile telephone comparison service.(Breaking news)
March 1, 2006... 2005 Leopards winner Oddschecker, the odds comparison site owned by ukbetting, the online content and gaming business, has launched a mobile service for punters. Oddschecker Mobile will enable customers to select any betting event using...

VC man joins 32Red.
March 1, 2006... 32Red, the gaming group, has named Edward Andrewes as its new development director, with immediate effect. Andrewes will take responsibility for marketing, commercial partnerships and new product development. He joins 32Red from Victor Chandler...

Northern gets green light for Silverstone.
March 1, 2006... Northern Racing confirmed that it had bid for the right to operate the Silverstone Racing Circuit, the home of the British Grand Prix, under a 25-year lease arrangement with the owners of the circuit, the British Racing Driver's Club. Having...

OFT ok's bookie deals.(Office of Fair Trading, Jackie Brown Inc. acquired by Ladbroke Group PLC)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The OFT has accepted undertakings offered by Ladbrokes to divest a number of sites, following its deal to acquire the Jack Brown bookmakers chain, and will not now refer the transaction to the Competition Commission. Vincent Smith, director of...

Margins under pressure at De Vere.(De Vere Group PLC profits)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... De Vere Group reported that underlying group turnover, adjusted for disposals, increased by 4.5%, for the 18 weeks to 29 January. The company said that turnover had improved from the nine weeks stage. However, De Vere said that margins...

Lifetime in deal with Marriott.(Marriott Hotels and Resorts)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Lifetime, the leisure training group, announced details of an extension to its contract with Marriott Hotels in the UK. The new agreement means that from this month, Lifetime will add training in operational services and leisure management to...

Premium market healthy for deal-hungry Esporta.(News: Health & fitness)
March 1, 2006... Esporta, the upmarket health club operator, announced strong 2005 results, and the completion of a refinancing to give financial resources to fund acquisitions and new site roll out. In what it described as "an extremely competitive...

Energie fitness names Precor as preferred supplier.(partnerships)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Fast-growing UK health franchisor energie fitness clubs has named Precor as its preferred supplier. To accommodate the company's rapid expansion, energie has also relocated offices to new modern premises in Milton Keynes, which...

Macdonald to open Vital Spa at Ascot Hotel.(News: Health & fitness)
March 1, 2006... The 350-room, Macdonald Berystede Hotel, located in Ascot, Berks, is to open its eagerly awaited Vital Spa and Leisure Club in April. Part of its 11m [pounds sterling] redevelopment programme, the facility will feature six treatment rooms,...

Trading not so elementary for Holmes Place.(News: Health & fitness)
March 1, 2006... Holmes Place has slipped deeper into the red, according to accounts filed at Companies House. Full-year pre-tax losses at the private equity-backed fitness operator have jumped to 52m [pounds sterling]. Chief executive Ian Burke, who...

Battle for super-casino heats up.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... National Union the GMB has backed Cardiff Council's bid to bring a regional casino to the Welsh capital in time for the 2012 Olympics, but one Welsh MP has slammed the Casino Advisory Panel for allegedly showing a clear bias towards Blackpool....

Eyes down as the new EU bingo association is launched in Brussels.(EUBINGO is the new association of European Union)
March 1, 2006... EUBINGO, the new European association, was launched on 31 January, at a lunch in the European Parliament hosted by Bill Newton Dunn MEP. EUBINGO is currently composed of the Bingo Association of the licensed bingo industry in Great Britain,...

Top Ten buys three Bravo sites.(Bravo Bingo clubs acquired)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Top Ten Holdings, the third largest bingo operator in the UK, has acquired three Bravo Bingo clubs for 1.85m [pounds sterling]. The addition of the sites in Worksop, Leicester and Blackwood takes the group to 44 sites, of which 26 are wholly...

Photo-Me buys pub game firm.(News: Betting & gaming)
March 1, 2006... Photo-Me International is buying Deith, a distributor of fruit machines and arcade-to-pub video games. The photo booth operator is paying 1.23m [pounds sterling] in cash and shares for a 60% stake in Deith, and up to 950,000 [pounds sterling]...

Gala signs Leo and backs future stars.(Gala Group Inc. acquires Leo Casinos)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Gala Group has acquired Liverpool's Leo Casino for 14.5m [pounds sterling], making a total of 31 casinos in its estate. The Leo has 22 gaming tables. Neil Goulden, Gala chief executive, said: "The acquisition demonstrates our confidence in...

Neteller upbeat for 2006.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Neteller expects the World Cup to spark a new generation of football punters. The Isle of Man-based money transfer service said it expected new signings from people who used to go to high street bookmakers. In a trading statement it said...

Betfair launches in Oz.(Australian operations launched)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Betfair launched its operations in Australia in February. It will have full advertising and marketing freedoms to fight for a share of the country's A$2.5bn (1bn [pounds sterling]) betting market. Betfair is now seeking further licences in...

Ambassadeurs bid sparks merger speculation.
March 1, 2006... Speculation that a sale by London Clubs International of its Les Ambassadeurs casino could hasten a merger with Stanley Leisure lifted both companies' shares. LCI confirmed it had received an approach for its Mayfair casino, which contributes...

Speculation over Ladbrokes' Indian JV.
March 1, 2006... Ladbrokes is on the verge of establishing a joint venture with New Delhi based property developer DLF Group reports India's The Economic Times. The publication said that under the agreement, DLF would source and acquire land, on which a foreign...

Sheffield United to boost leisure portfolio with new share placing.(Sheffield United Football Club)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Sheffield United Football Club announced it planned to raise about 10m [pounds sterling] through a share offer, in order to make improvements at its Bramall Lane ground and fund the purchase of the Thames Club fitness operation. The club...

Winter Games looks on target.(Italy's economic to rise)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Lex, in the Financial Times, says the 2006 winter Olympics will almost cover its operating budget despite initially disappointing advance ticket sales. A late rush means more than 90% have been sold, although ticket sales make up less than...

Famous Grouse celebrates rugby sponsorship.(News: Sport)
March 1, 2006... The Famous Grouse is to spend 750,000 [pounds sterling] sponsoring the Scottish international rugby team. The brand is celebrating its 15th consecutive season sponsoring the team and will focus on building its presence round Edinburgh's...

New UK sports and culture vehicle started.(LGA Delivering Sustainable Communities)(cultural and sporting opportunity in all communities)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... A new collaboration between the national Government agencies responsible for sport, arts, heritage, built environment, and museums, libraries and archives --was launched at the LGA Delivering Sustainable Communities conference in Birmingham....

Leisure Report LR Index: football stockwatch February 2006.(News: Sport)
March 1, 2006... As you can see at a glance, there wasn't much movement in soccer share prices in February, Southampton aside, so instead we bring you the news that Crewe Alexandra football club is advertising for a wealthy benefactor willing to pump 8m [pounds...

Beware the entertainments licence rip off, ALMR warns operators.(Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Licensees are being "stung" by "greedy licensing authorities" according to the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR). At issue is public entertainment licences (PELs). These became redundant when the 2003 Licensing Act came...

Hamid and Barnes to join Novus board.(News: Cinema)
March 1, 2006... Nevus Leisure, the late-night bar operator previously known as Urbium, has announced a brace of non-executive appointments. David Hamid, the former chief executive of Halfords Group, is to join the business as non-executive chairman. ...

Online booking system for M&B's Hollywood Bowl.(News: Cinema)
March 1, 2006... ADDleisure has signed a five-year licensing deal with Mitchells & Butlers to provide its Hollywood Bowl chain with the online booking system Ez-Book. The deal, signed through subsidiary Digital Plantation, will see the system rolled out...

Georgica planning cashback deal.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Georgica said that it expected to return 'substantial' shareholder value next year, either through refinancing or disposal of part or all of the business. The group added that it was in talks to acquire a substantial number of additional...

Odeon to open new 5m [pounds sterling] cinema at Braehead Xscape snowcentre.(News: Cinema)
March 1, 2006... Europe's largest cinema operator Odeon is preparing to open a brand new cinema on the outskirts of Glasgow in Braehead. The new 12-screen, 5m [pounds sterling] cinema will be part of the new Xscape complex, in close proximity to the popular...

Windmill table-dancing club is put up for sale.(News: Cinema)
March 1, 2006... The table-dancing club at the Windmill Theatre in London's Soho is to be put up for sale at between 5m [pounds sterling] and 10m [pounds sterling]. Corporate finance boutique Cavendish has been appointed to find a buyer for the famous...

Terra Firma scoops five AMC cinema sites.
March 1, 2006... Guy Hands' private equity group Terra Firma Capital Partners has purchased five cinemas in Spain and Portugal from AMC Entertainment, for an undisclosed sum. The cinemas are based in Barcelona, Terrassa, Las Rozas, Majorca and Porto.

Bowlplex bookings boost.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Tenpin operator Bowlplex is expecting above average visitor figures to all of its centres across the February school holidays, it revealed. The holiday period traditionally sees an increase in visitor numbers, but this year Bowlplex expects the...

Paris buys London nightspot.
March 1, 2006... Heiress Paris Hilton has bought half of London nightclub The Collection. Her partner in the deal is Geoffrey Moore, son of Bond actor and Peta activist Roger Moore. The Collection is said to be a favourite haunt of Prince William and his...

Fund backs concert promoters.
March 1, 2006... A new venture capital trust is looking to raise 30m [pounds sterling] to invest in concert promoters and live-event companies. Impresario Harvey Goldsmith and Sir Elton John's manager Frank Presland are part of the team at Edge Performance.

Soho Clubs takes Too2Much stake.
March 1, 2006... Soho Clubs and Bars is reported to have taken a stake of around 33% in Too2Much, the newly-named London cabaret club formerly known as the Raymond Revue Bar. Soho Clubs and Bars operates seven sites in the West End of London.

London gets an Eye full as popular attraction's future is finally secured.(News: Tourism)
March 1, 2006... The Tussauds Group confirmed that it had finalised its agreements to acquire the entire financial interests of British Airways and the Marks Barfield family in the British Airways London Eye, ensuring the long-term future of the UK's most...

New openings set to boost London visitor numbers.(News: Tourism)
March 1, 2006... The number of people visiting London's museums, galleries and attractions declined by 6% in 2005, according to Visit London's Attractions Monitor, but new openings should aid recovery. Large attractions, especially those located in central...

More Lake District closures ahead.(News: Tourism)
March 1, 2006... The number Of tourist information centres in the Lake District is to be halved due to rising costs. The annual government grant has been frozen at 6m [pounds sterling] and the Lake District National Park Authority predicted a 1m [pounds...

Record year for British tourism.(News: Tourism)
March 1, 2006... Britain's Office of National Statistics has released its annual visitor figures for 2005. Compared to 2004, visits abroad by UK residents were up by 3%, to a record 66.3 million. There were 50 million visits to Western Europe (representing...

Butlins hails resort hotel.
March 1, 2006... Butlins has reported that Shoreline, its first resort hotel, achieved 1m [pounds sterling] in 2006 sales before the end of January. John Dunford, the managing director of Butlins, said: "Shoreline has exceeded all expectations, achieving a...

Locals fight Constable theme park.
March 1, 2006... Locals in the Stour Valley are opposing plans to build a 20m [pounds sterling] Constable "heritage and conservation centre" in the region. Buntings & Sons propose to build the attraction at Great Horkesley, near Colchester. It would include an...

Theme parks boost Disney.
March 1, 2006... A late rally driven by theme parks saw Disney's first quarter profits rise by 7%. For the period ending 31 December 2005, net income was up to $734m (420.57m [pounds sterling]) from $686m for Q1 2004, while sales were up 2.2% to $8.85bn. Theme...

Todd takes CP finance job.
March 1, 2006... Chris Todd, Center Parcs' finance manager, is to take on the temporary role of head of finance from 1 March. Todd will replace finance director Simon Lane until a successor is found.

Ex McD's man gets Burger King VP job.
March 1, 2006... Burger King has appointed a new vice president of its North West European Division. He is Giorgio Minardi, who joined Burger King from McDonald's in November 2005 as regional vice president, Asia Pacific. Minardi will be responsible for Burger...

600th UK store for Subway.
March 1, 2006... Subway, the fast-growing sandwich chain, has opened its 600th store in the UK, in Huntingdon--the home of the 4th Earl of Sandwich. Operated by franchisee James Martin, the Cambridgeshire store was the 100th to open in just six months by the...

YO! Sushi to open four more UK sites.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The sushi conveyor belt chain YO! Sushi is to open four restaurants between now and May, taking its UK operation to 24 sites. The group, which is currently conducting a strategic review, will open in a new food hall opposite Harrods, west...

Spring IPO for Burger King.
March 1, 2006... Burger King is to launch its IPO in early March, with the group expected to list under the name 'Burger King Holdings'. Greg Brenneman, the chain's chairman and chief executive, said: "Our goal has always been to take Burger King public. We...

Caffe Nero targets 450 UK stores.(News: Food)
March 1, 2006... Caffe Nero has raised its UK site targets from 400 to 450, after unveiling like-for-like sales of 4.5% for the six months to 30 November, 2005. The group, which currently has 250 sites in 116 UK towns, is now opening four stores a month...

Pershing eases pressure on McDonald's.(News: Food)
March 1, 2006... Hedge fund group and McDonald's shareholder Pershing Square Group has backed down from its bid to push the fast food chain to sell off a swathe of its company-owned properties. In an effort to drive shareholder value, Pershing lobbied...

Domino's new operations director.(Domino's Pizza Inc. appoints Patricia Thomas )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Domino's Pizza UK & Ireland has appointed Patricia Thomas as operations director. She was formerly vice president of distribution operations for the chain's US business. Thomas' new role includes support for 152 Domino's franchisees and...

FishWorks FD.(News: Food)
March 1, 2006... FishWorks, the AIM-listed restaurant and fishmonger's chain, has this morning announced the appointment of Ratnesh Bagdai as Finance Director. Bagdai was formerly a director of Caprice Holdings, owners of The Ivy, Le Caprice and J Sheekey...

PRG sets Tempo.(News: Food)
March 1, 2006... The People's Restaurant Group, which recently acquired the Little Chef roadside restaurant chain for 52m [pounds sterling], is to trial a new coffee shop concept. The Coffee Tempo! concept will open initially at 17 of its 235 outlets.

Coffee Republic raises 850,000 [pounds sterling].(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Coffee Republic placed 85 million shares at 1p through Teather and Greenwood and Seymour Pierce Ellis to raise 850,000 [pounds sterling]. In December the group reported a 13.7% fall in sales for the six months to 25 September to 7.7m...

Firoka wins bid to run Alexandra Palace.(News: Property)
March 1, 2006... Firoka, owned by millionaire businessman Firoz Kassam, has won a bid to control North London's famous landmark, Alexandra Palace. The trustees of 'Ally Pally' named Firoka, owner of Heythrop Park Hotel, golf and country club, as the...

ExCel London plans major new leisure expansion.(News: Property)
March 1, 2006... Following the completion of Phase 1 of its development in 2004, ExCeL London is inviting input from the exhibition, conference and events industry on plans for Phase 2. The venue is carrying out a consultation process to determine how its...

Kempton Park to open as a new-look night-time destination.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Following 11 months of development, Kempton Park racecourse is set to unveil its new 18.8m [pounds sterling] all-weather floodlit racetrack at the end of March. The operators hope the new track will help to establish Kempton Park as a...

Parking policy killing town centres.(Federation of Small Businesses )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has urged local councils to reconsider their parking policies in light of a new survey. The FSB has found that 52% of small businesses are dissatisfied with local parking policies, with only 7%...

WiFi networks could have sting in the tale.(News: Industry)
March 1, 2006... Inadequate security measures at WiFi hotspots could have massive legal repercussions according to City law firm Charles Russell LLP. Inadequate security measures mean that, as well as hacker attacks, corporate laptop users' confidential...

Study suggests "considerable confusion" over safe drinking messages as labelling is widely ignored.(News: Industry)
March 1, 2006... Safe drinking messages are falling flat, according to a new study. Researchers from Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh found that despite alcohol warnings appearing on labels, most people tend to ignore them. For a paper to be...

Hospitality firms' failure rate up in 05.(News: Industry)
March 1, 2006... Business failures rose significantly in 2005, with the Hotel and Catering industries particularly vulnerable, according to a new study from information specialist Equifax. According to the firm's figures, the retail sector was most...

Chip and Pin fraud concern.(News: Industry)
March 1, 2006... Confusion over the introduction of chip and pin could lead to an increase in bank card fraud. From 14 February most sites will not accept card payments with a signature. Instead customers must know a four-digit Personal Identification...

Turner retires from Whitbread board to head down under.(News: Industry)
March 1, 2006... Whitbread has announced that David Turner will be retiring from the board as a non-executive director on 2 March. Turner, who is chief executive officer of Brambles Industries, which is listed in the UK and Australia, was appointed to the...

BAT accused of exaggerating worth of smoke filtration systems.(News: Industry)
March 1, 2006... British American Tobacco has been accused of promoting ventilation and air filtration systems despite knowing that they were ineffective. Writing in a recent edition of the BMJ, researchers said that systems promoted by BAT as viable...

Yes, it's your business, but remember--it's OUR club; David Minton on the benefits of generating a proprietary feeling in members.(Insight)
March 1, 2006... I received by email a newsletter from my fitness club the other week. That's the good news; the bad news is that it didn't have any news of interest. So in the spirit of a critical friend I emailed back letting them know what I would like to...

Festive bonus ball for executives; Christopher Mumford from HVS International reveals research into executive bonus schemes.(Research: Executive remuneration)
March 1, 2006... 'City Bonus Bonanza!' screams the newspaper headlines. Yes it's that time of year when the press works itself into frenzy over the size of bonuses awarded to a handful of investment bankers and estate agents have a renewed spring in their step....

Pool operators--are they still trying to discover the colour of money? Graeme Aymer chalks up his cue to take a close look at the modern-day pool hall.(cue sports )
March 1, 2006... Compared to many other activities, cue sports have a dubious reputation. Central characters in films about cue sports, for instance, are not likely to be wholesome, Kevin Costner, Field of Dreams-types. At best, they're loveable Fast Eddie...

Does insolvency mean you must call time at the bar? CMS Cameron McKenna's David Manson looks at the Licensing Act.(Interview)
March 1, 2006... The Licensing Act 2003 came into full force on 24 November 2005, with the aim of providing greater freedom and flexibility for the hospitality and leisure industry, and to replace the old systems for regulating licensed premises with a single,...

Will the wallet come out after war of the words? Dominic Walsh says Esporta's boss talks a good game, but must deliver soon.(Behind the headlines: Fitness sector)
March 1, 2006... Neil Gillis is a man who is probably better suited to the private arena than the public arena. The Esporta chief executive is someone who not only says it how he sees it, but also likes to have a bit of a dig at the opposition. If he was...

LR Index leisure stockwatch February 2006.(Sharewatch)
March 1, 2006... The biggest influence on UK leisure stocks this month came from across the pond, with the news that Virginia congressmen Bob Goodlatte and Rick Boucher had introduced a prohibition bill to Congress, in an attempt to drive off online gaming...

Diary dates: March.(Diary dates)(Calendar)
March 1, 2006... Event: SIBEC Asia Date: 27 Feb-1 March Location: Phuket, Thailand Description: SIBEC is designed to be the leading event for senior level operations executives to review their procurement and operational strategies with many of...