Leisure Report articles from May 2003

Leisure Report archives from May 2003

UK cinema market consolidates.
May 1, 2003... The shake-up of the UK cinema industry is gathering pace with both UGC and UCI the subjects of takeover speculation, and the 250m [pounds sterling] sale of Warner Village Cinemas to a partnership led by SBC International Cinemas. SBC...

Gaming bill--an opportunity or a threat to operators in all sectors?(Inside track)
May 1, 2003... The long-awaited deregulation of the gaming industry is moving closer to reality with detailed instructions from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport now issued to parliamentary draftsmen whose task it is to frame the new law. The...

William Hill challenges first betting exchange shop.(News)
May 1, 2003... William Hill, the betting shop operators, is battling against the decision of Scottish licensing justices to allow the first high street betting exchange. Henry Spurway, who recently sold his eight-strong chain of Larkspur Racing betting...

S&N to sell entire retail division.(News)
May 1, 2003... Scottish & Newcastle is putting its entire pubs, restaurants and hotels arm up for sale, at the same time as it buys the troubled cider maker HP Bulmer. S&N was originally negotiating a sale-and-leaseback of 700 of its pubs with the...

UK attraction firms consider funding options.(News)
May 1, 2003... The Tussauds Group and Merlin Entertainments, the two largest operators of attractions in the United Kingdom, are considering refinancing options. Charterhouse Development Capital has owned Tussauds, which has Madame Tussauds and theme...

David Lloyd Leisure confirms third party discussions for continental move.(Health & fitness)
May 1, 2003... David Lloyd Leisure, the Whitbread-owned chain of health clubs, is in discussions with a third party with a view to rolling out in a continental territory, believed to be Spain. Stewart Miller, the managing director of DLL, would not...

Turnover from Greens and Village boosts De Vere.(Health & fitness)
May 1, 2003... Health and fitness achieved the highest rises in sales for De Vere Group, the company's results for the 26 weeks to 30 March revealed. Turnover for Village Hotels & Leisure Clubs rose 15.1% to 36.5m [pounds sterling] with earnings before...

'Clubs fail to tackle obesity'.(Health & fitness)(The Leisure Database Company)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Leisure Data-base Company, which manages information databases of the public and private fitness industry, has challenged operators to think differently about the growing problem of obesity. Research from the firm showed that about 89%...

Holmes Place warns of tough year ahead as profits plunge.(Health & fitness news)
May 1, 2003... Holmes Place, the health club operator, issued "very disappointing" full-year results for 2002 and waned that 2003 was likely to be significantly worse than it had earlier expected. Talks about a management buyout at the company, likely to...

Next Generation bucks trend with expansion plans.(Health & fitness news)(Next Generation Clubs)
May 1, 2003... Next Generation Clubs is bucking the fitness industry trend by continuing with its planned rate of expansion after finalising funding to support its roll out for the next two to three years. The company, which operates ten clubs in the UK,...

London bid for 2012 Olympics goes live after government confirms support.(Sport news)
May 1, 2003... Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, announced that London will definitely bid for the 2012 Olympics. Tony Blair contacted Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, to tell him of the decision. Jowell said...

Welsh Rugby faces 5m [pounds sterling] insurance loss.(Sport news)(Welsh Rugby Union)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Welsh Rugby Union, which funds 239 Welsh rugby clubs, could face a 5m [pounds sterling] loss in the wake of the collapse of insurer Independent Insurance. The fears come with the pending high-profile battle in the House of Lords...

Sport England announces staff cuts to boost funds.(Sport news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Sport England, the Government-funded lead body, is reducing its workforce from 570 to around 250 to give it up to 12m [pounds sterling] to inject directly into sport. The organisation made the decision because Lotto funding for sport has...

Fulham's record loss.(Sport news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Fulham Football Leisure, owner of Premiership side Fulham FC reported a record loss of almost 33.6m [pounds sterling] for the year to 30 June 2002. The club reported annual turnover of 32.7m [pounds sterling], largely boosted by broadcasting...

F1 threat grows as teams sign GPWC memo.(Sport news)(Formula One)(Grand Prix World Championship)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Formula One teams competing in the Grand Prix may be closer to dropping F1 and joining the new Grand Prix World Championship from 2008 than the industry first thought. It has emerged that 10 teams have signed a memorandum of understanding...

Studio attraction boosts turnover but decreases margins for Euro Disney.(Tourism & attractions news)
May 1, 2003... Euro Disney SCA, operator of Disneyland Resort Paris, has reported an 8% rise in turnover, to 472.6m [euro] (335.2m [pounds sterling]), for the first half of 2003, driven by a rise in attendance at its Paris theme park, increased hotel...

Glimmer of hope for hotel sector.(Tourism & attractions news)
May 1, 2003... All-Hotels.com, the hotel booking website, reported a 50% year-on-year rise in bookings, as well as an increase in room rate in London. The site recorded 15,987 room nights booked between 17 March and 17 April 2003, compared with 11,354...

European visits make up for US tourist shortfall.(Tourism & attractions news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The number of overseas tourists coming into the United Kingdom fell slightly year-on-year in March, but a drop in visitors from the United States was compensated for by a rise in visitors from Western Europe. Overseas visitors numbered 1.7...

Backpackers to get new hotel brand.(Tourism & attractions news)(Globetrotter Inns )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Globetrotter Inns is to open its first hotel for backpackers in Edinburgh in August. The company hopes to open 25 properties in the United Kingdom and continental Europe and is currently looking for a gateway site in London. Derek...

Parkdean buys Pactrem for 13m [pounds sterling].(Tourism & attractions news)(Pactrem)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Parkdean Holidays has acquired Pactrem, the owner and operator of two holiday parks in Cornwall, one at Kennack Sands on the Lizard peninsula and the other in Newquay, for 13.1m [pounds sterling]. The deal boosts Parkdean's portfolio to 14...

150m [pounds sterling] projects to boost south Cornwall.(Property & development news)(Restormel Borough Council)(The Ampersand Group)
May 1, 2003... South Cornwall is set for major developments costing more than 150m [pounds sterling], designed to boost the area's tourism revenue and facilities for residents. Early next month, Restormel Borough Council is due to approve final details...

New home for Salford City Reds.(Property & development news)(Salford City Red rugby team)
May 1, 2003... Red City developments has submitted a planning application to build a 35m [pounds sterling] stadium on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal. If approved, the City of Salford Stadium will have a capacity for 20,000 fans and will be the...

Bournemouth Pier in 10m [pounds sterling] revamp.(Property & development news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Bournemouth Pier is set for a 10m [pounds sterling] redevelopment designed by John Seifert, after the Riviera Consortium won preferred bidder status. The revamp will involve both the showbar building and the pier and will include a new...

Dome scheme faces housing set-back from Livingstone.(Property & development news)(London Borough of Greenwich)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The redevelopment of the site of the Millennium Dome in London faces uncertainty after Mayor Ken Livingstone said he may block the plans. The London Borough of Greenwich gave outline planning permission to developer Meridian Delta's...

Northern Ireland moves closer to national stadium.(Property & development news)(Irish Rugby Football Union)(Football Association of Ireland )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The search for a national stadium for Northern Ireland may be over. The Irish Rugby Football Union and the Football Association of Ireland looked at a number of possible sites and found that the regeneration of the existing Lansdowne Road...

Johnson hands victory to Nando's in battle for PizzaExpress business.(Eating & drinking news)(Venice Bidder)
May 1, 2003... Luke Johnson has waved the white flag in the battle for control of PizzaExpress, which now looks certain to fall to a consortium including the company that controls Nando's, the peri-peri chicken chain. Johnson's bid vehicle, Venice Bidder,...

Burger King franchisee Gowrings slumps to loss.(Eating & drinking news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Gowrings, the Burger King franchisee, slumped to an 1.85m [pounds sterling] loss for the year to 31 December 2002 from a profit of 1m [pounds sterling] in 2001, as like-fur-like sales fell 6%. An accounting hole that was uncovered when it...

McDonald's to cut openings and sell 12 UK sites.(Eating & drinking news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... McDonald's is reported to have put 12 sites in the United Kingdom up for sale. The company has instructed agent Lambert Smith Hampton to dispose of the unwanted sites, which are spread across the UK. McDonald's is also thought to have cut...

No stopping Roadchef.(Eating & drinking news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The motorway service area operator Roadchef is racing through the travel downturn with second quarter results showing a 9.2% rise turnover to 54.7m [pounds sterling] compared with the same period last year. Figures released show operating...

Po Na Na calls in administrators.(Cinema & entertainment news)
May 1, 2003... Po Na Na, one of the UK's leading late night venue operators, called in the administrators after failing to find additional funding from its bankers. A spokesman for the administrators, Grant Thornton, said it would be "business as usual"...

Multiplex growth slows down.(Cinema & entertainment news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The slowdown in the development of new cinemas is continuing, according to a report by Dodona, the Leicester-based entertainment researcher and publisher. Cinemagoing 11 says there is a surplus of screens in many areas. In 2002 there were...

easyCinema secures films for MK launch.(Cinema & entertainment news)(easyCinema)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The first easyCinema was on track to launch in Milton Keynes on 23 May after film distributor Pathe agreed to supply movies. But Stelios Haji-Ioannou is planning to go to the Office of Fair Trading over the refusal of the major distributors to...

Carnegie to sell Glasgow nightclubs for 3.75m [pounds sterling].(Cinema & entertainment news)(Carnegie Leisure Group)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Carnegie Leisure Group, the ,Scottish nightclub operator, has put its Bonkers and Privilege nightclubs in Glasgow on the market for 3.75m [pounds sterling]. Brian Douglas, the company's managing director, said: "It is with great sadness...

First Leisure names Smith as new chief executive.(Cinema & entertainment news)(John Smith)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... First Leisure, the nightclub operator, has appointed John Smith as its chief executive. Smith who has been acting chief executive since the departure of Paul Kinsey in January, joined the company as finance director at its inception in...

Bowlplex bowls over judges.(Cinema & entertainment news)(Bowlplex )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Bowlplex scooped three prizes in the tenpin bowling industry's equivalent of The Oscars. The Bournemouth-based company won two awards for facilities at the Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association 2002 awards and mother for its management....

London Clubs to restructure debt after St James's and Palm Beach deals.(Betting & gaming news)(Celebrity Gaming)
May 1, 2003... London Clubs International is to restructure its debt after agreeing a sale and leaseback deal for its 50 St James's casino and the disposal of its Palm Beach site to Stanley Casinos. LCI has formed a joint venture with Celebrity Gaming, a...

Wembley acquires Brum dog track.(Betting & gaming news)(Perry Barr Greyhound Racing Club)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Wembley, the track-based gaming company has reached an agreement for its Greyhound Racing Association subsidiary to acquire Perry Barr Greyhound Racing Club in Birmingham for 4.2m [pounds sterling]. The offer was open for acceptance until...

Rank reports 'satisfactory' trading.(Betting & gaming news)
May 1, 2003... Turnover at The Rank Group's Grosvenor Casinos is up 8% since the start of the year. In its AGM statement, the firm said trading in the provincial casinos "continued to be buoyant, with strong growth in both admissions and ban cue per...

Industry welcomes government position paper on remote gambling ...(Betting & gaming news)(Interactive Gaming, Gambling and Betting Association)
May 1, 2003... On-line gaming operators welcomed the government's plans for flexible regulation of the onshore remote gaming industry, designed to help the UK become the world leader in the market. The Interactive Gaming, Gambling and Betting Association...

... As DCMS clarifies plans for personal licensing structure for betting industry.(Betting & gaming news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... In a separate position paper, the DCMS outlined its policy regarding personal licensing for the betting industry. The paper detailed the government's requirements in a deregulated gambling market for personal licensing for on and off-course...

Sportingbet receives bid approach.(Betting & gaming news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A potential bidder is stalking Sportingbet, the world's biggest online bookmaker. The company said that it has been in discussion with a number of parties with a view to securing additional funding to meet a 20m [pounds sterling] bill due...

Gambling Trust moves forward.(Betting & gaming news)(Gambling Industry Charitable Trust)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The gambling industry's commitment to proving it can operate in a socially responsible manner in a deregulated market has taken a step forward with the Gambling Industry Charitable Trust's adoption of a strategy. The Trust decided to...

Licensees express concerns over higher insurance costs from Health Care Bill.(Industry news)(Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Licensees are becoming increasingly concerned at the prospect of even higher insurance costs to cover prospective NHS billing of insurance companies. The Health and Social Care Bill, awaiting its second reading in the House of Commons,...

Clubbers told to practise 'safe hearing' by RNID.(Industry news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Nightclub owners are being encouraged to provide more chill-out rooms where clubbers can escape the harmful affects of loud noise. The call follows the release of research by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, which found that three...

Sports Cafe gets first all-day licence.(Industry news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... What is claimed to be Britain's first 24-hour licence has been awarded to the Sports Care in Haymarket, central London. The venue has been granted the all-day licence for the duration of the Rugby World Cup, which runs from 10 October to 22...

Union calls for extra bank holidays could cost hospitality industry dear.(Industry news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Leisure and hospitality workers can expect extra pay for working bank holidays if the TUC gets its way. The TUC reported that nearly three million people worked over Easter this year and that it wants three additional statutory bank...

Industry groups join forces to approach local authorities over licensing.(Industry news)(The British Institute of Innkeeping)(Licensed Victuallers Association )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The British Institute of Innkeeping and the Licensed Victuallers Association National Parliamentary Committee have agreed join forces to work with local authorities on licensing reform. John McNamara, the chief executive of the BII, said:...

Anti-smoking bill gains legs.(Industry news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Gareth Thomas, the Labour MP for Harrow West, is to add his bill outlawing smoking in restaurants to Tessa Jowell's licensing Bill. The culture secretary favours a smoking ban and health secretary Alan Milburn has argued in cabinet for...

Restaurant body plans integrated promotion for 2004.(Industry news)(Restaurant Association)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Restaurant Association has decided to relaunch its eating out consumer promotion for next year. A decision has been taken not to go ahead this year with the annual promotion designed to get more people eating out as the association...

Southampton pubs attack vandalism tax.(Industry news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Pub and club owners in Southampton are opposing plans by the city council to charge them for vandalism caused by drunken youths. The move to crack down on drink-related problems in the city centre was put forward at the final meeting of an...

Time for new blood at Whitbread? Dominic Walsh from The Times looks at the contenders to replace David Thomas at Whitbread.(Behind the headlines)
May 1, 2003... When David Thomas was trounced by Hugh Osmond in the battle for Allied Domecq's pub estate in 1999, his chances of seeing out Iris time as chief executive of Whitbread until his retirement next year at 60 seemed decidedly remote. But four...

Hunter aims for healthy returns: Barry Hunter tells Mel Swift how Roko Leisure could become a force in the fitness industry.(Profile)(Roko Leisure)
May 1, 2003... Sauce, boots and hi-tech gadgetry. This intriguing combination helped attract Penta Capital, the private equity firm, to Barry Hunter. But before anyone jumps to any conclusions about the personal predilections of venture capitalists or health...

All-round entertainment and profits: Mei Swift looks at the ongoing evolution and growth of the original family entertainment activity.(Sector update--tenpin bowling)
May 1, 2003... Tenpin howling has been rolling along quietly fur the last few years, but recent demerger and acquisition activity in the pubs and hotel market has edged it into the spotlight. M & A on the way? Speculation still surrounds the future...

Time is money, but so is energy: Robert Stanier from The Henley Centre says price is no longer the motivator it used to be.(Special report--consumer research)
May 1, 2003... When consumers take up your leisure offer, it is more titan just money they are investing. They are also investing their time and their energy. Many operators make the mistake of concentrating almost exclusively on issues relating to money: the...

Leisure Report LR Index leisure stockwatch May 2003.(Sharewatch and Diary dates)
May 1, 2003... Since April, leisure shares have enjoyed an improved performance, with the average rising from last month's 6.8% from last month's 108.29p to 115.70p, pushing the average market capitalization up from last month's 382.50m [pounds sterling] in...

Diary dates.(Sharewatch and Diary dates)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
May 1, 2003... June Event: The Health and Fitness Industry, 2003 and Beyond Date: 3 Location: The Royal Airforce Club, London Description: Leisure Property Forum evening event featuring Cannons Group CEO Harm Tegelaars and David Turner,...