Entain targets digital gains with UK and European retail revamp
Ladbrokes, Coral and Eurobet shops to be overhauled to embrace digital with target of 200 UK outlets given makeover by 2024
Entain has unveiled an ambitious plan to revamp its core retail business across the UK and Italy to include digital technology as part of a drive towards further omni-channel expansion.
The retail makeover will initially apply to Entain shops in the UK and Italy across the Ladbrokes, Coral and Eurobet portfolio and follows successful trials of more contemporary store design and formatting,
Following the end of Covid-19 restrictions on the UK retail sector, the firm has opened 18 new digital hubs and plans to have a total of 30 of these new-style shops open by the end of 2021.
Target cities where redesigned shops will open include Leeds, Birmingham, London, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Wolverhampton, Newcastle, Dumfries and Leicester.
Entain has revealed its aim to open 200 UK digital outlets by the end of 2024.
The UK shops, also known as licensed betting offices, being converted will aim to provide more choice of interactive sports and gaming content, as well as interactive displays.
In both Italy and the UK, the converted premises have digital window displays and additional interior screens which allow live events and new promotions to be shared with customers across retail locations.
Addressing the focus on retail, Entain CFO and deputy CEO Rob Wood highlighted the need to deliver a great local experience for customers.
“This investment allows us to give a more immersive and joined up online omni-channel experience to our customers.
“Since high streets re-opened, our retail customers have returned in large numbers which reflects the continued demand from customers for an engaging in-shop experience
“This digital makeover of shops, together with ongoing investments into our industry leading tech platform and £100m of innovation investment over the next three years, are important drivers of our future growth,” he added.
In Italy, Entain has said it plans to convert around 200 Eurobet shops using proprietary digital technology, with plans to have the first 30 open by the end of the year.
These will include several “Eurobet Cafes”, which offer customers a new place to meet and socialise with friends.
“This is all about offering a different and more distinctive experience to new and existing customers, “said Andrea Faelli, managing director of Entain, Italy.
“We want to move from simply offering betting shops to hosting spaces in town centres where people can come to have a good time, which may or may not include having a bet,” Faelli added.
During Entain’s H1 2021 results presentation in August the FTSE 100 operator revealed retail had returned to 90% of pre-Covid volumes.
Italian operations experienced an 76% uplift in constant currency during the first half of the year as Entain benefited from the omni-channel offer, the firm said.