Leisure Report articles from September 2005

Leisure Report archives from September 2005

Gala float off as Permira buys 30%.
September 1, 2005... Gala, the UK bingo and casino operator, announced that funds advised by Permira, one of Europe's leading private equity firms, are to buy an equity stake in the company, in a deal which values the group at 1.89bn [pounds sterling], effectively...

Study--Britons 'are becoming more active'.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Latest research from Mintel, the consumer research consultancy, shows that three-quarters (74%) of all British adults claim to be donning their sports gear to exercise at least once a week, up from a figure of 70% of adults in 2003. ...

It's just not cricket ... but it's an example to us all.(England and Wales Cricket Board)
September 1, 2005... The battle over broadcast rights in the world of sport has been hotting up this summer, with the European Commission again challenging BSkyB's hegemony over football broadcasting rights, and now a new furore over the England and Wales Cricket...

ISG wins 30m [pounds sterling] contract to build new National Tennis Centre.(News)(ISG InteriorExterior)
September 1, 2005... ISG InteriorExterior announced it has won the multi-million pounds contract to build a new flagship National Tennis Centre for the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). The new 30m [pounds sterling] tennis facility will be located in Roehampton,...

UK golfers could be seeing double with '2-Ball'.(News)
September 1, 2005... There has been much talk recently in golfing circles of 2-Ball Golf, a new game with a twist on conventional mini-golf, which could become as popular as its predecessor. The unique key to this new of the game is that each player plays with...

'Well-placed' Stanley to return some 327m [pounds sterling] to shareholders.(News)
September 1, 2005... As expected, Stanley Leisure said it planned to return a substantial amount of cash to its shareholders, in the wake of the sale of its licensed betting offices to William Hill, and said it was "well placed" for the impending dog-fight over...

Betex, the gaming firm, has won a contract to operate the state lottery in China's Guixhou province.
September 1, 2005... Betex, the gaming firm, has won a contract to operate the state lottery in China's Guixhou province. Betex raised 1m [pounds sterling] when its shares were listed on the Ofex market in May, and plans to raise new funds when its shares are moved...

Ultimate Bet operator Excapsa is reportedly gearing up for a 200m [pounds sterling] flotation.
September 1, 2005... Ultimate Bet operator Excapsa is reportedly gearing up for a 200m [pounds sterling] flotation. The Sunday Times reported the online poker company has hired Canaccord Capital to advise it on the listing and hopes to raise about 30m [pounds...

Rank Group is expected to announce next month that Deluxe, its film and video business, has finally been sold off.
September 1, 2005... Rank Group is expected to announce next month that Deluxe, its film and video business, has finally been sold off. Shares rose throughout August, amid speculation that the deal could spark a venture capital bid for a "leaner, more focused"...

Cannons booming as new fitness timetable draws in 33,000.(Health & fitness news)(Cannons Health and Fitness)
September 1, 2005... Cannons Health and Fitness reported a surge in fitness class attendance of 33,000 participants, following the rollout of a new fitness class timetable and centralised tracking system across the estate. As part of its focus on member...

Holmes Place says 'hasta luego' to Iberian portfolio for 110m [euro].(Health & fitness news)
September 1, 2005... Continuing the recent industry trend of selling off non-core clubs to focus on UK portfolios, Holmes Place announced it had agreed a fee of 110m [euro] (76.5m [pounds sterling]) for 15 of its clubs in Spain and Portugal. A consortium of...

LivingWell living licentiously.(Health & fitness news)(pole-dancing classes )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Not content with introducing pole-dancing classes for its membership, LivingWell made tabloid headlines this month when staff at its Leicester operation accidentally recorded an intimate conversation on the answerphone of a potential member....

Esporta launches new kids scheme.(Health & fitness news)
September 1, 2005... Esporta has launched a fitness programme designed specifically for under-16s. The programme, named Esporta Fit Crew, is currently on offer at the group's Berkshire club, and if popular, will be launched nationwide. Fit Crew offers a range...

MidOcean favourite for Fitness First.(Health & fitness news)
September 1, 2005... MidOcean Partners is reportedly among the leading bidders in the 800m [pounds sterling] auction of Fitness First. Four others were believed to be still in the running as Leisure Report went to press, with indicative bids worth 750m [pounds...

Pokerstars signs online football website deal.(Betting & gaming news)
September 1, 2005... PokerStars.com, the world's largest tournament website, announced it had agreed a six-figure deal with FL Interactive to become the exclusive online poker partner of the FLi Network of official football club websites. The two-year...

Comms arm for Commission.(Betting & gaming news)(Museums, Libraries and Archives Council)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Gambling Commission has appointed Jo O'Driscoll, head of communications at the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, to lead its own communications arm. O'Driscoll will be seconded for a six-month period in order to appoint and...

Sports Cafe moves into internet gaming field with casino offering.(Betting & gaming news)
September 1, 2005... Sports Cafe, the owner and operator of the eponymous chain of licensed sports entertainment venues, is to launch its own Sports Cafe branded internet gaming portal--'Sports Cafe Casino'. Sports Cafe Casino, which is scheduled to become...

Study shows traditional gambling levels off to make way for online boom.(Betting & gaming news)
September 1, 2005... Despite a steady decline in gambling over recent years, ORC GamblerTrack--an annual study carried out by research consultancy ORC International--shows that 60% of the UK population still participates in some form of gambling, contributing to an...

Sportingbet forges ahead with canny new acquisitions.(Betting & gaming news)
September 1, 2005... Sportingbet, the leading online betting and gaming group, said it expected full-year operating profits to top the 60m [pounds sterling] mark, as it provided a trading update for the year to 31 July 2005. At the same time the company...

Coral floating?(Betting & gaming news)(investment)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Coral Eurobet could be planning an 800m [pounds sterling] flotation for later in the year. The firm appointed Lehman Brothers, the investment bank, at the end of last July to advise on a potential float that would value the business at 2bn...

OFT clears William Hill's Stanley deal.(Betting & gaming news)(Office of Fair Trading)(William Hill PLC)(Stanley Leisure PLC)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Office of Fair Trading announced that it had cleared William Hill's acquisition of Stanley Leisure retail bookmaking operations in the UK, subject to Hills undertaking to dispose of around 50 licensed betting offices in agreed locations....

Betfair seeks CFO.(Betting & gaming news)
September 1, 2005... Betfair is looking for a new chief financial officer after ousting Owen O'Donnell, who leaves on 31 August 31. The world's biggest internet betting exchange is considering an initial public offering as one option to provide liquidity for...

Frugal Villa cuts losses despite another disappointing season.(Sport news)
September 1, 2005... Reporting final results for the year to 31 May 2005, Aston Villa said its tight hold on the purse strings had helped compensate for a disappointing season. Although turnover for the year was 51.6m [pounds sterling], a decrease of 7.6%...

Turnover doubles as Taskcatch looks to invest in more acquisitions.(Sport news)
September 1, 2005... Taskcatch, the AIM-listed provider of five-a-side soccer facilities, said turnover had shot up during the year to 31 January 2005, helped by the integration of new acquisitions, but the group's continued capital expenditure meant it was unable...

Leisure Report LR Index football stockwatch.(Sport news)
September 1, 2005... The stand-out performer among listed soccer clubs throughout August was Newcastle United, which saw shares leap 22.1%, after the club told the stock exchange that one of its major shareholders had received an approach for his stake. The...

Upbeat Georgica not snookered by hot weather.(Cinema & entertainment news)(weather)
September 1, 2005... Reporting a much improved set of figures for the six months to 26 June, Georgica, operator of Rileys cue sport venues and Tenpin bowling venues, said profit for the half year increased by 87%, compared to the corresponding period in 2004, to...

Sky eyes 6 UGC multiplexes.(Cinema & entertainment news)
September 1, 2005... BSkyB is reportedly looking to acquire six multiplex cinemas for around 30m [pounds sterling]. According to Broadcast magazine, Sky is in talks with US private equity firm Blackstone Group, owner of the 42-strong UGC Cinemas chain. Blackstone...

Urbium share price soars as it selects preferred bidder.(Cinema & entertainment news)
September 1, 2005... Urbium announced it had selected a preferred party to carry out confirmatory diligence, with a view to making an offer for the company. The group said that it had received a number of offers for the group, all of which were "significantly...

Vue unveils new DVD partnership to tap into lucrative home market.(Cinema & entertainment news)
September 1, 2005... Vue Entertainment, one of the UK's leading multiplex cinema operators and developers, announced the launch of 'Vue at Home' a new DVD rental service in conjunction with ScreenSelect.co.uk. The partnership between Vue and ScreenSelect.co.uk...

Leisure Parcs hopes new attractions will drive recruitment.(Tourism & attraction news)
September 1, 2005... Leisure Parcs, the Blackpool-based leisure and entertainment operator, is undergoing its biggest ever management recruitment programme, as well as adding new attractions to the Pleasure Beach. The company is seeking to strengthen its...

Business tourism 'could help sector shrug off terror-related downturn'.(Tourism & attraction news)
September 1, 2005... Business tourism leaders are calling for greater support for tourism's most valuable sector, in a new report which sets out how conferences, exhibitions, outdoor events, corporate hospitality and individual business visits can add significant...

Thieves target theme park parking.(Tourism & attraction news)
September 1, 2005... Visitor attractions in the UK are drawing in the crowds--of thieves, according to a worrying survey conducted by Autoglass. Legoland, in Windsor, Oakwood Theme Park, in Pembrokeshire and Alton Towers, in Staffordshire, were among the worst...

London hotels hold firm after attack.(Tourism & attraction news)
September 1, 2005... There is no strong evidence that London occupancy levels have fallen by more than a few percentage points since the second bombing incident on 21 July, according to data provided by The Bench. Nightly occupancies across 23,800 London hotel...

X-Leisure attracts investors with Aberdeen leisure park deal.(Property & development news)
September 1, 2005... The X-Leisure Unit Trust, the Capital & Regional and Hermes managed specialist leisure fund, announced that it had purchased Queen's Links Leisure Park in Aberdeen. At the same time the fund revealed that was welcoming four new...

Jackson takes plunge with 7m [pounds sterling] Newmarket leisure centre development.(Property & development news)
September 1, 2005... Jackson Construction announced it had secured a 7m [pounds sterling] contract to build a new community leisure centre in Newmarket, Suffolk, for Forest Heath District Council. The scheme will see Jackson upgrade and add significantly to...

Starbucks gets green tea boost to fuel expansion.(Food & drink news)(new green tea)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Starbucks reported same-store sales up 7% on the year for July, buoyed by its new green tea based drinks. The group reported consolidated net revenues of $495m (281m [pounds sterling]) for the four weeks to 13 July, an increase of 21% from...

McDonald's sees sales rise on EU growth.(Food & drink news)
September 1, 2005... McDonald's reported July same store sales up 4.9% across its global estate, backed by a new line of premium chicken sandwiches in the US, and strong demand in Europe. Total sales rose by 6.1%, compared with July last year. The rise was...

Operating profit leaps for Pret A Manger.(Food & drink news)
September 1, 2005... Pret A Manger reported an operating profit of 7.8m [pounds sterling] before goodwill and amortisation in 2004, from 193,000 [pounds sterling] in the previous year. The group's pre-tax loss narrowed to 904,000 [pounds sterling], down from...

Greggs sees profits rise despite volatile weather concerns.(Food & drink news)(rise in sales)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Greggs, the convenience bakery group, reported like-for-like sales up 5.2% for the 24 weeks to 18 June. The company, which has over 1,250 outlets throughout the UK, reported pre-tax profit for the period of 15.6m [pounds sterling], up 15.1%....

FTSE Leisure industry bosses' salaries soar.(Industry news)
September 1, 2005... Chief executives in the FTSE Leisure and Hotel sector have seen their salaries hit the 500,000 [pounds sterling] mark for the first time, according to a new study. Halliwell Consulting, the executive compensation consultancy, said in its...

UK hotels still fail the disabled, says charity study.(Industry news)
September 1, 2005... While many UK hotels claim to have disabled facilities, many are still falling short of guidelines established by the 1995 Disabilities Discrimination Act (DDA), according to a new study from Leonard Cheshire, a charity for the disabled. ...

Leisure SME's urged to make the environment a priority.(Industry news)
September 1, 2005... The Carbon Trust is urging small businesses in the leisure industry to make climate change more of a priority, as new research reveals that less than a third of small businesses in the sector believe that climate change will have a major effect...

McHattie joins People 1st team.(Industry news)(appointment)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industry, appointed David McHattie as commercial and customer service director for the organisation. Prior to his appointment McHattie held a broad...

What is a 'Member'? David Minton says the quality of membership data is strained.(Comment)
September 1, 2005... If we worked in the pornographic industry we would all know what a 'member' is but because we work in the fitness industry there's no hard and fast rule, so to speak, to this basic question. The question of what constitutes a member arose...

Bullish in a China shop: franchisors are looking east to China, the world's newest economic powerhouse.(Comment)
September 1, 2005... It's the size of a continent, speaks a different language and, despite the occasional book, no-one fully understands it. No, not Tony Blair's ego, but China. What, until recently, was a country closed to international eyes is now recognised as...

Does European law mean taxing times ahead? Peter Mason explains why hoteliers should be interested in VAT.(Legal)(Value-added tax)
September 1, 2005... VAT may not be the most pulse-quickening of topics, but before you glaze over there are two issues relating to this tax on goods and services that should be of particular interest to the hotel and restaurant industries. First, there have...

Improving the pleasure of leisure: Graham Ede and Tim Cooper from the Ion Group extol the virtues of customer management.(Business Sense--Customer Relations Management)
September 1, 2005... Despite the huge investment in customer data gathering, personalised marketing today is generally only implemented in the mail, phone or email, whereas face-to-face in the leisure venue is not generally used to gather information or indeed...

High staff turnover reduces customer turnover: Stephen Harvard Davis looks at why 40% of new executives fail within six months of starting.(Business Sense--Executive Failure)
September 1, 2005... Anybody watching "Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares" will quickly understand that the key to winning a Michelin star--or even having a restaurant serving half-decent food--is a capable, stable and motivated brigade in the kitchen. It was the same...

Leisure Report LR Index leisure stockwatch September 2005.
September 1, 2005... Wembley shares plunged more than 30% throughout the month, on the news that the company was effectively being wound up to return cash to shareholders. The traditionally quiet month of August saw little in the way of trade by volume, and...

Diary dates.(leisure sector)(Calendar)
September 1, 2005... September Event: Turning Point--Spa Industry Seminar 2005 Date: 2-4 Location: Sentosa Resort & Spa, Singapore Description: Conference and networking event where ideas and experiences are shared by professionals in the spa and...