LONDON, August 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
In a video interview on his first day as CEO of the business,
James Henderson discusses
William Hill's interim results.
A tough first quarter saw an unusual set of football results
negatively impact the business, but this was partially mitigated by
a strong World Cup performance that was boosted by the level of
mobile betting that took place.
While profits were down in the Retail business, Henderson
remains fully committed to the shops where 79% of customers still
place their bets.
"It's still our most profitable division...in regards to setting
up Online in the first place, I think it benefitted from the brand
awareness within the UK. And we're also now flipping that
back to be able to benefit in Retail from the Online
presence."
Commenting on the regulatory environment, which continues to be
challenging as new taxes are introduced, he says: "If you look at
the sector, we already contribute £1bn worth of taxes.
And these [new] taxes will increase that. So of course it becomes
challenging."
Looking ahead he sets out his priorities as CEO:
"I've got is to make sure that we continue to leverage our
multi-channel opportunity, to be able to continue to develop our
technology in a way that will differentiate ourselves from other
people. In addition to that, it's about looking at what
opportunities are available to us, from an international
perspective."
In an accompanying interview Neil
Cooper, Group FD, gives some additional detail on the impact
of the World Cup and discusses the contribution of the
international businesses and sets some areas that are being
targeted for cost-cutting.
The interview and transcript are available now on
http://video.merchantcantos.com/companies/w/william-hill.
MerchantCantos produces in-depth interviews, documentaries and
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