William Hill sells Northern Ireland shops to BoyleSports
BoyleSports has agreed to buy 35 betting shops in Northern Ireland and Isle of Man owned by William Hill.
Northern Ireland.- BoyleSports is set to conduct its largest acquisition to date as it has agreed to buy 35 betting shops from William Hill in Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. After the deal is done, BoyleSports will also be the biggest operator in Northern Ireland with 298 shops.
33 of the shops are located in Northern Ireland, while the other two are located in the Isle of Man. The acquisition has immediate effect, but BoyleSports will start operating the shops next month as it wants to engage with the 220 new employees, Racing Post reported.
Chief Executive of BoyleSports, Conor Gray, said: “BoyleSports are delighted to realise its long-held ambition to develop a meaningful retail presence across Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. This acquisition complements our existing retail network in Northern Ireland and our retail network in the Republic of Ireland while also representing a significant step in our long-stated ambition to develop our retail footprint across the UK.”
A William Hill spokesperson said that colleagues in both Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man will transition to BoyleSports employment retaining all existing terms and conditions. “We look forward to working with the BoyleSports team on a smooth transition and maintaining a great customer experience with shops retaining William Hill branding until they transition at the end of the first quarter when the process completes.”
BoyleSports plans to open a betting shop in Stoke-on-Trent
BoyleSports has recently revealed that it is interested in opening a betting shop inside an iconic building located in Stoke-on-Trent. The betting shop would occupy two units of the former Webberley’s store in Hanley.
Webberley’s shut its doors in January 2016 after being in business in Hanley for 102 years, according to Stoke Sentinel. While there was a campaign to keep the business open, plans to turn the upper floors into flats have already been approved.
The planning application from BoyleSports says that the company would represent a new occupier of the town centre “at a time when betting shops face an uncertain future with a number of the household names announcing job cuts and store closures.”
