William Hill recently heralded 2010 as a strong year and is expecting full-year profits to come in at the top end of expectations in its annual results on Friday.
The bookmaker emerged from weather-struck December unscathed as gamblers battled snow and ice to place their bets in the group’s shops.
The company, which has more than 2,350 outlets in the UK and Ireland, saw retail turnover growth in December despite the Arctic conditions, which led to 47% of scheduled UK horseracing meetings being cancelled and just one weekend of reduced football.
Consensus figures suggest full-year underlying earnings will come in around £275 million, up from £258.6 million the previous year. The City will be looking for further details on how the company plans to expand its mobile and online operations.
Gaming firm Rank Group will reveal whether the turnaround in its Mecca Bingo business has translated into full-year profit growth in its annual results on Friday. Mecca reported an increase in the number of visits for the first time in more than a decade in the first half of 2010, helped by rebranding six of its halls to its new Full House format in order to attract a younger crowd.
The Mecca business has faced a number of difficulties in recent years, including the smoking ban, changes to legislation which restricted money-spinning gaming machines, a harsh tax regime and a squeeze on consumers in the recession.
Meanwhile, full-year results from More Than parent RSA Insurance on Thursday will confirm the impact of a surge in household claims during December’s freeze. The firm recently warned over annual earnings after it said the bill for UK weather-related claims was expected to be £110 million more than normal after the coldest December for 100 years.
The pre-Christmas snow and freezing conditions saw RSA inundated with claims for snow damage and burst pipes, with around 8,000 claims at an average cost of £6,700 since November.
It cautioned this blow – which contributed to an overall weather impact that was £142 million more than normal – would leave full-year earnings lower than market forecasts, at around £600 million to £630 million against predictions for £740 million.
And National Express reports on Thursday after a turnaround year for the group under the leadership of new chief executive Dean Finch. The group raised its full-year profit expectations in December after delivering the benefits of a bus network revamp earlier than expected.
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