According to Regulus Partners , Betfred now has the strongest revenue per shop of any major operator , other than Flutter and its Paddy Power brand , which reported a 9 % uptick in retail revenue including gaming ( up 8 % for sports ) in Q3 .
While many operators are shifting their focus towards the surging online sector , retail is in Betfred ’ s blood , with founder Fred Done opening his first betting shop in Salford in 1967 . Betfred now also has a flourishing online business , but the company ’ s head of media , Mark Pearson , says its retail roots mean it won ’ t neglect its brickand-mortar offering . When asked why Betfred is growing where some of its competitors aren ’ t , Pearson tells iGB the operator ’ s driving factor for success is “ still believing in Britain ’ s high streets ”.
“ We ’ re still up for it . We still think the betting shop is a very , very important part of people ’ s communities . And obviously we ’ re still owned by Fred [ Done ] and retail is very much in his blood . He ’ s still in most days discussing
“ We ’ re not corporate and [ when you use one of our shops ], you ’ re having a bet with Fred . He ’ s been in the game for a long time , but he ’ s still up for that battle with a punter ”
Mark Pearson , Betfred
how we can improve the retail offering ,” says Pearson .
A BALANCE BETWEEN ENTERTAINMENT AND COMMUNITY
Pearson says Betfred takes pride in its staff engaging with customers with training key to differentiating its shops from others . “ We ’ ve got some excellent staff who have worked for us for a long time ,” he explains . “ They get to know the customers , their names , little details about them . We get to know what football
Mark Pearson , Betfred team they support . When they ’ re coming into the shops , we have a chat with them , make them feel welcome .”
Making the betting experience personal is at the core of Betfred ’ s strategy , with the company keen to distance itself from any image of being a “ faceless operator ”, says Pearson .
“ We ’ re not corporate and [ when you use one of our shops ], you ’ re having a bet with Fred . He ’ s been in the game for a long time , but he ’ s still up for that battle with a punter .” Although it operates over 1,300 shops across the UK , Pearson
ICE 2025 • ISSUE 137 • 25