Bookmaker William Hill increased its spend by more than 50% and ploughed £56m into its property portfolio last year.
Announcing its financial results for 2011 this morning, the company said capital expenditure increased to £56m from £37m the previous year, with more investment in the fabric of its retail estate.
During the same period, William Hill opened 34 new shops, however, it also exited the Republic of Ireland, closing 20 under-performing shops, and selling the remaining 15 to Boylesports. It took a £1.9m hit as a result of withdrawing from Ireland.
The estate as a whole decreased by six shops to 2,371.
During the same period, pre-tax profit dipped 3% to £187.4m.
joanna.bourke@estatesgazette.com
