The retail makeover will start with the betting giant’s British and Italian shops across the Ladbrokes, Coral and Eurobet brands before being rolled out elsewhere on the continent.
According to the company, these new shops contain the latest gaming machines and interactive displays to give customers a more “engaging and dynamic experience” as well as a greater choice of interactive sports and gaming content.
In both the UK and Italy, Entain has trialled these new store designs, which it claims more closely align with online customers’ expectations.
“Entain is a global online operator, but we are focused on delivering a great local experience for our customers. This investment allows us to give a more immersive and joined up online omni-channel experience to our customers,” remarked Rob Wood, the CFO and Deputy Chief Executive of Entain.
“Since high streets reopened, our retail customers have returned in large numbers which reflects the continued demand from customers for an engaging in-shop experience.”
The business has already opened 18 new digital hubs across the UK and aims to have a total of 30 overhauled shops open by the end of 2021, with an end goal of 200 in the country by the end of 2024.
In Italy, the group plans to convert around 200 shops and plans to have the first 30 locations open by the end of this year, including a number of “Eurobet Cafes,” which will purportedly offer customers a new place to meet and socialise with friends.
Andrea Faelli, MD of Entain Italy, said: “This is all about offering a different and more distinctive experience to new and existing customers. 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.”
Entain also hopes this digital revamp will breathe new life into both countries’ ailing high streets and town centres.
In the UK alone, the British Retail Consortium recently reported that more than one in seven shops are now vacant, a p that rises to one in five in particularly hard-hit parts of the country.
