Toals expands its business

The bookmaker added other nine shops to its portfolio.

Ireland.- The Irish bookmaker Toals bought what remained of the bookmaker group Co Down and expanded its portfolio with another nine shops. With the latest addition, Toals expanded its business to Newcastle, Dundrum, Kilkeel, Castlewellan and Ballynahinch.

The bookmaker that currently operates more than 40 outlets and employs 250 people has also bought three licenses that correspond to outlets that weren’t operating. In 2015 Toals opened a shop on Belfast’s High Street, which is also the biggest from the UK or Ireland.

Gary Toal, company owner, said that they’re really well established and that they have a recognised brand. “We had previously bought a Sawey shop in Bangor but this is effectively the rest of the group. Sawey is a name that has been around since the 1930s and is one of the old bookmakers. All the shops will be rebranded and newly fitted out,” he said.

Toal also said that they will have to work with planners to see what best suits the areas. “Growth is definitely through acquisition because of the difficulty in obtaining a new licence here. But opportunities for acquisition are very few now,” he added.