End of an era as Will Hill sells off UK Racecourse Pitches
News on 23 Oct 2018
News on 23 Oct 2018
William Hill, for the first time in 80 years, will no longer hold a presence at racecourse pitches following the sale of 82 on-course stalls to Racecourse Pitches Ltd, aka independent bookie Sid Hooper.
William Hill said it will strengthen its focus on its 41 racecourse betting shops and digital channels.
While not confirmed, industry speculates the sale of the pitches was at a price tag of GBP 2 million.
Terry Pattingson, trading director for William Hill :
“With a William Hill betting shop now at 41 racecourses, we have reviewed whether our rails operation continues to make commercial sense.
“Our focus now is to provide on-course customers with a full retail experience on the racecourse, so it makes sense to move away from our rails operation, hence, we have agreed a sale with Racecourse Pitches Ltd. We wish them the best of luck with their new expanded operations.”
Sid Hooper’s managing director, John Hooper:
“We have been looking for expansion opportunities for some time and we are thrilled to have acquired the William Hill on-course portfolio of pitches.”
News on 23 Oct 2018
William Hill, for the first time in 80 years, will no longer hold a presence at racecourse pitches following the sale of 82 on-course stalls to Racecourse Pitches Ltd, aka independent bookie Sid Hooper.
William Hill said it will strengthen its focus on its 41 racecourse betting shops and digital channels.
While not confirmed, industry speculates the sale of the pitches was at a price tag of GBP 2 million.
Terry Pattingson, trading director for William Hill :
“With a William Hill betting shop now at 41 racecourses, we have reviewed whether our rails operation continues to make commercial sense.
“Our focus now is to provide on-course customers with a full retail experience on the racecourse, so it makes sense to move away from our rails operation, hence, we have agreed a sale with Racecourse Pitches Ltd. We wish them the best of luck with their new expanded operations.”
Sid Hooper’s managing director, John Hooper:
“We have been looking for expansion opportunities for some time and we are thrilled to have acquired the William Hill on-course portfolio of pitches.”
