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London Clubs denies
Manchester’s Playboy makeover
A one off Playboy themed night has caused all sorts of media speculation in Manchester that the city’s 235 venue is set for a permanent makeover.
ohboy UNITED KINGDOM
London Clubs International has refuted claims in the local media that its Manchester 235 venue is to follow The Rendezvous in London in bringing the Playboy bunnies back to town. The operator, which recently opened a Playboy Club in Mayfair, said confusion had been caused a by a one off Playboy themed night that it is holding in 235. Local media reports claimed: “Bosses of the world-famous men’s magazine want to re-launch the Manchester 235 casino on Deans- gate under their own banner. The casino, to be called the Playboy Club, would be staffed by bunny- tailed dealers and waitresses.” But the operator moved quickly to outright deny the suggestions
saying: “London Clubs Interna- tional would like to clarify that there are currently no plans to rebrand the Manchester235 casino as a Playboy Club. This statement follows considerable press specu- lation in the Manchester area on September 5 2011, reporting a return of the Playboy brand to Manchester. We’re happy to clarify that the Manchester235 casino is holding a one-off Playboy-themed evening on October 1 to celebrate Manchester235’s 24-hour licence, and the successful launch of Playboy Club London in Mayfair, both casinos being part of the LCI Group of companies. Current Playboy Bunnies will be present at the event; however this in no way signifies a move to a permanent Playboy presence and any reports to the contrary are grossly prema- ture and inaccurate.”
Galliford Try to build Resorts World at The NEC
firstresort UNITED KINGDOM
Construction group Galliford Try has been selected by Genting UK as the company to build Resorts World at The NEC, a major new leisure and entertainment development located at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The Resorts World at The NEC complex will include a casino, a four star hotel and suites, a spa, conference and ban- queting facilities, a retail outlet centre, a multi- screen cinema, food and beverage outlets and car parking. The contract will be valued at £80m and the scheme is set to start on site during the first quarter of 2012 with completion expected during the first quarter of March 2014. Galliford Try chief executive Greg Fitzgerald said: “We are delighted to be selected as preferred bidder by Genting UK for what will be one of the most significant leisure and entertain- ment developments to be built in the UK in recent years. We have a proven ability to deliver multiple mixed-use developments on a large scale, and this project will provide a tremendous addition to our growing portfolio in the commercial sector.”
8 October 2011 • europewestnews Manchester’s previous Playboy
casino, located on Canal Street, closed in 1982 but was hugely suc- cessful throughout the 1970s. The local media claimed that
LCI would ‘test the water’ with the one off night and then make a deci- sion following its conclusion. However, it said that Manchester 235 was performing satisfactorily. London Clubs International has
the Playboy licence not just for London but the whole of the UK. Playboy has worked with other companies to open venues in Las Vegas, Macau, and Cancun. Whilst the Playboy brand would boost the Manchester casino’s profile, it would also risk the initial wrath of women’s rights campaigners, who made their feelings known to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner as he entered the Mayfair property on opening night.
Manchester’s Pankhurst Centre
was the birthplace of the Suffra- gette movement which paved the way for the female vote in the early 1900s. Yvonne Edge, manager of the Pankhurst Centre, said: “Man- chester is a forward-looking city but this is a step backwards and I can’t believe that they are doing this. Women like the Suffragettes fought and some died for the vote - and now we’re being treated like objects. What is particularly wor- rying is that women who do not have a job in these difficult eco- nomic times will think it is accept- able to sell their bodies.” LCI denied the claim, however,
saying that its bunnies are pro- fessionally-trained croupiers with many of them being univer- sity educated and most of whom take home up to £60,000 a year with tips.
Signs good for Rank in Southend
Coventry claims Europe’s biggest poker contest A record breaking 1,765 players took part in a poker tournament at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena, making it Europe’s biggest competition. Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Goliath Event, at the Arena, beat the previous record of 1,440 set in 2009. Unlike previous tournaments, those knocked out could buy back in the next day, which contributed to a massive prize pool of £176,500. A quarter of the registration fees went to Marie Curie Cancer Care. The winner, Lee Rawson, 42, from Doncaster, beat Coventry’s Mark Broomhall to walk away with the £32,705 top prize. Rawson had to borrow a car to get to the event
Evaluation Panel in place to ensure Scarborough’s fair
smallprogress UNITED KINGDOM
The two horse race for Scar- borough’s small casino licence is moving towards the next hurdle despite one of its contestants vowing to pursue the other’s inclusion in the High Court.
Only two applications were
received, one from Apollo Leisure and one from Nikolas Shaw, the operator of the town’s existing Opera House Casino. An Evaluation Panel of six people will now be formed to analyse both pro- posals and give advice to the licensing committee on each. The panel will comprise the authority’s parking and venues manager Stuart Clark, investment manager Nick Taylor, project manager Alex Richards, Barry Graham of the Safer Communities Team, accountancy manager Neil Hughes, and head of legal and support services Ian Anderson.
Anderson said: “This team
is believed to bring together the relevant skills that will be required to advise the com- mittee on the bids and nego- tiate with bidders. Included are individuals with the rele- vant legal, major project and procurement knowledge, an understanding of the impact of investment decisions upon regeneration within the area, an understanding of the operation of facilities within the borough which encour- age tourism, financial assessment skills, and a comprehension of the impact of initiatives upon the com- munity, crime and the envi- ronment. It is believed that all these skills will be required to ensure that the evaluation process properly evaluates the benefits to the area of such proposals as may come forward.”
southpark UNITED KINGDOM
All the signs seem good for Rank’s Grosvenor Casinos who want to open a new casino on the seafront in Southend at the Palace Hotel, taking the seaside town’s total to three. It still has to secure a
permit from the Gambling Commission and an alcohol licence from Southend Council but the operator is being backed by local traders and politi- cians in its efforts to trans-
form the former hotel. Southend already has the Genting-owned Maxims, in Western Esplanade, and the LCI-owned Rendezvous, at the Kursaal.
Council leaders believe
it would be an ‘excellent move’ and do not think another gaming floor will make the town a gambling Mecca. Derek Jarvis, the Tory councillor for culture and tourism, said he didn’t believe that a third casino would prove a problem, saying there was plenty of
room at the seafront and saying it would attract more visitors. He added it would be a good move to develop a ‘quarter’ which specialises in a certain form of entertainment. Jonathan Garston, the
Tory councillor responsi- ble for planning, agreed saying he didn’t think Southend would become known as a ‘gambling town’ nor that another casino would create more gam- blers. He believes it would give the town a wider catchment area.
Judge Richard Blake last month agreed with a deci- sion by the council’s licens- ing sub-committee to allow Apollo through to stage two of the tender although Nikolas Shaw has promised to take the matter to the High Court.
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