Boylesports looking to expand Irish store network

h operator Boylesports is looking to add up to 40 betting shops to its network of stores in the Republic of Ireland, according to a report published in the Irish Independent.

The bookmaker has already inked a deal to this end in 2017, agreeing to acquire nine shops from Bambury Leinster earlier this month.

If approved by regulators, this would take Boylesports’ land-based presence in Ireland to a total of 219 shops.

Mark O’Neill, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, said that Boylesports was “open for business on the acquisition trail.”

He continued: “We're a growth organisation. We have to be with some of the big plcs in our industry, and we're ready and willing to look at any opportunities that we can pick up.

“If we could get another 30 or 40 stories in Ireland over the next 12-18 months, that would be the stated aim, and we can then bring them into our network.”

Boylesports’ aims at expansion have been well documented over the last few months, with the operator failing in a bid to acquire the 360 shops sold by Ladbrokes and Coral in October as the pair moved to complete their merger.

O’Neill confirmed to Gambling Insider the bookmaker’s intention to now look to “regional, rather than national opportunities” in the UK.

He told the Irish Independent: “Major opportunities like the one with Ladbrokes and Coral don't come around too often.

“If we were able to pick up 15 or 20 shops in some regional locations around some of the bigger cities and build our brand profile, that would be the strategy for now.”