Former Intercourse Toys and Lingerie Retailer May Turn out to be On line casino
A former retail retailer in the UK that bought intercourse toys and lingerie may develop into a on line casino room with slot machines, bingo, and sports activities betting.
Merkur Gaming’s “Cashino” in Northampton is looking for to develop its footprint to adjoining shops that shuttered amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This photograph is from April 2021 when a intercourse toys and lingerie Ann Summers boutique was nonetheless working on Abington Road. (Picture: Google Maps)
Ann Summers, a British retailer that focuses on presents for the bed room, relocated its Northampton location at 9a Abington Road final summer time. The corporate shuttered its Abington enterprise in July 2023 in favor of the Grosvenor Purchasing Middle.
The Abington St. retail area has since been petitioned for rezoning to permit a 24/7 enterprise to function there. The request comes from Merkur Gaming, a slot and digital gaming producer that operates greater than 220 gaming venues throughout the UK.
Merkur presently operates a “Cashino,” the model the corporate makes use of for a lot of of its slots rooms, simply two doorways down at 7 Abington Road. Merkur desires to develop its Northampton footprint by extending its gaming operations to the 2 adjoining retail companies.
A former Moss Bros. Males’s clothes retailer completely closed at 9 Abington in early 2021. Based in London in 1851, Moss was delisted from the London Inventory Change in 2020 amid monetary issue.
Ann Summers was based in 1971 and has about 80 retail areas throughout the UK.
Cashing in on Excessive Road Woes
Abington Road is Northampton’s “excessive road,” a time period referring to a UK city’s major procuring hall. Excessive streets usually supply quite a few betting outlets like Merkur’s Cashinos.
Northampton’s once-thriving excessive road has struggled to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s allowed betting operators like Merkur to be bullish on increasing their brick-and-mortar footprints in lots of UK cities and cities. Merkur mentioned just lately it’ll make investments greater than £5 million over the following 12 months to open new excessive road venues.
The proposal includes the bringing again of a longstanding vacant unit into useful industrial use, which is able to set off a number of financial advantages and permit a longtime operator inside this a part of the city heart to relocate and proceed contributing to the middle,” a Merkur spokesperson informed the Northampton Chronicle. “The precept of the proposed change of use… will shield and improve the vitality and viability of this a part of the city heart.”
Merkur stresses it’s not a fixed-odds betting terminal (FOBT) operator, the slot-like machines which were dubbed the “crack cocaine” of playing by critics. Merkur as a substitute claims to concentrate on low-stakes betting.
“Bear in mind, playing is NOT a solution to generate profits!” the corporate tweeted just lately on X. The corporate’s tagline is “to supply the very best quality worth for cash and leisure within the low stake, excessive quantity slot machine market.”
Native Opposition
Merkur’s zoning request change to develop its Cashino on Abington St. may face opposition from Northamptonshire Police, Hearth, and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone. The Labour councilor has repeatedly issued her antagonism for extra betting outlets.
We have already got too many casinos, betting outlets, pawn outlets, and mortgage sharks chasing the cash of deprived households,” Stone mentioned. “It’s like a tax on the poor.”
Northampton, like most different main cities within the UK, has quite a few betting and bookmaker outlets. Together with Merkur, Abington St. at present has Paddy Energy, Ladbrokes, and Betfred outlets the place FOBTs, slots, bingo, and sports activities betting are supplied.
The rezoning request is predicted to be voted on by the West Northamptonshire Council throughout its June 24 assembly.
