Coinslot May 20 - May 26, 2011
I am not suggesting that airports and service stations are in any way not meeting the requirements when it comes to separating these games and labelling them as 18s and over. But if this works fine for them why can’t pubs have the same concessions?”
STEPH NORBURY, COIN-OP COMMUNITY
orts receive a Blue Flag boost, a pub demerger creates 70 new jobs, a nd entertainment centre opens after a two-year wait and a ‘gaming visionary’ the world’s biggest gaming companies.
“ ”
The former northern swim- ming pool has been reborn as a multi-facet facility with ultra- modern ten pin bowling alley, children’s soft play area and American-style cafe. A gym, pro shop and function room will open in coming weeks.
Cutting the ribbon, chairman of Ramsey Commissioners Nigel Malpass, said: ‘If we are talking about Ramsey’s regeneration, this personifies it. Today is the start of something big for Ramsey.’
He praised mobile phone com- pany Sure, whose sponsorship set the ball rolling, enabling Alan Price, managing director of Buf- falo Bowling and Leisure, to turn
his dream into reality. The centre, which is open from 10am to 11pm daily, is expected to attract 100,000 visitors a year and, as well as individual bowlers, will cater for corporate events and children’s parties. Two public companies will be created through the venture. And finally, there is still plenty of money to be made in the amusements industry, according to veteran operator and EAG show expert speaker Frank Seninsky. In an interview which appeared in The Vending Times, Seninsky stated: “What was true in the ‘good old days’ 30, 40 or 50 years ago is still true today: oper- ators, distributors and manufac- turers can start with practically nothing (just enough money for a couple of used machines)... and, if they work hard and work smart, aggressively taking advantage of their opportunities, they can grow a substantial and highly profitable business.
“Keep the doors open… and
keep your eyes and mind open. An important business mentor once told me: ‘Remember, if you’re out there in the market, you will get some opportunities simply because you exist.’ I have found this to be true.
“If people know that you’re in the industry, at least some poten- tial customers will come knock- ing on your door. Even if they don’t, opportunities will present themselves to those who are paying attention. You don’t have to wake up at three o’clock in the morning with a radical, off the charts new-fangled idea. All you have to do is keep attuned to the possibilities that pop up before your eyes, in the routine course of your day.”
Seninsky concluded: “No matter what the pessimists say, there will always be an amuse- ments industry. There will always be a niche for what we do. We should all be smiling that we have had the opportunity to be a part of this great industry.”
quote unquote
“Jose is a bit of a joker and he was telling Coloccini in Spanish what numbers were being called but he was saying the wrong ones. Luck- ily Coloccini didn’t shout. People at the club think it’s fantastic that they had a game of bingo.”
LORRAINE WEATHERSON OF CRAMLINGTON ON A VISIT BY NEWCASTLE UNITED FC PLAYERS JOSE ENRIQUE AND FABRICIO COLOCCINI TO HER LOCAL
BINGO CLUB
“There is a pattern of hope over adversity in the way people spend their money in a downturn. People trade down in how they entertain them- selves, so instead of going for an expensive meal they might buy a bottle of wine at the supermarket or have a bet. It’s not expensive but still a bit of a treat - and has the potential that a big win could end financial worries.”
SYNOVATE RETAIL ANALYST JULIE CUMBERLAND
“The joint working relationship between Embed Playsafe and Mecca is proving to be a recipe for success and the bottom line is show- ing it.”
ANDREW SACKEY, AMUSEMENTS PROJECTS MANAGER, AT MECCA BINGO
39 Email:
cm@sjc.co.uk It’s good to talk
Although it has marked reductions in the beer tax and VAT for the hospitality sector as medium- term goals, British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) chief executive Brigid Simmonds reports that dialogue with the Treasury is progressing well.
politics brigid simmonds
The BBPA has continued its discussions with the
Treasury about beer taxa- tion and its growth agenda, which we see pubs being very a part of, given that our sector employs just under a million people across the UK. The Treasury certainly
expressed interest in gain- ing an understanding of how brewing and pubs work, from the types of barley and hops used to make beer, beer produc- tion and bottling and trans- port, through to pubs and how they can be sustained. With regards to beer tax
itself, it appears to be very supportive of the argu- ment we have presented - that beer is a very British product, that it is a hugely important part of commu- nity pubs and that taxation is a real barrier to the beer and pub sector maximis- ing its contribution to the growth of the overall economy. However, I think it is
going to be very difficult for the Treasury to make any change to beer tax in the current financial climate, but at least it has acknowl- edged that because infla- tion is so high the beer escalator is creating real problems for this sector. We continue to support the campaign to achieve a reduction in VAT for the hospitality sector, which would be a very good thing, but which I see as being a medium-term aim. It is interesting that last week Ireland became the
latest European nation to reduce VAT for its hospital- ity businesses, but the prob- lem for the Treasury is that the initial cost of making any reduction is quite high, before it experiences any benefit from growth in the hospitality sector.
Most of the Bills that the
BBPA has an interest in are about to complete their passage through the House of Commons and move on for consideration in the House of Lords. We have put forward some amendments on pro- posals such as the late-night levy and early-morning restriction orders in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, and I have had a meeting with James Brokenshire,
the
minister for crime preven- tion at the Home Office, to discuss fees. The government has put
down an amendment to allow it to increase fees, and we are concerned that there is a national cap on fees and that they do not go up by a huge amount, oth- erwise we see closures of yet more pubs.
Whilst the Localism Bill
offers communities the right to buy pubs, we hope that this will not interfere with business transactions. The BBPA is expecting to be called by a Commons select committee for an enquiry into the Beer Tie, and as it is due to com- mence in June and go on through to July, we have already begun our prepara- tions for it.
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