William Hill relaunches Vicar Lane betting shop in Leeds as digital-only property

William Hill opened a new "state-of-the-art, digital-only" shop in Leeds, UK, on Saturday. The company relaunched its Vicar Lane Venue with a gran opening ceremony attended by ex-Leeds and England goalkeeper Nigel Martyn, former Yorkshire and England cricketer Craig White and ex-Leeds Rhinos player Stevie Ward. The brand is set to roll out a similar digital-focused shop in Glasgow later this month.

According to the company, the new betting shop "promises an unrivaled immersive and interactive betting experience not seen before." The transformed shop in Leeds will provide William Hill customers with a range of digital opportunities, including:

• Digital only – William Hill will be going paperless across the shop
• Integrated research table – customers can access digital versions of the Racing Post at William Hill's new research table
• Charging stations – customers will be able to charge their phones wirelessly while in the shop
• Scent solutions – inspired by casinos, computer-driven scents configured to cover the entire shop have been installed

"William Hill has also placed delivering innovations in player safety at the heart of the relaunch," according to the company, with the introduction of a player safety/customer service area named 'Own Your Game'. There, customers and staff can privately interact around safer gambling issues and the various support measures available.

The bookmaker will also have access to real-time footfall information via a dashboard to understand customer dwell time and peak periods. Elsewhere, William Hill has introduced gantry cameras, providing access to which betting materials customers are engaging with on the shop floor to help tailor popular broadcast content, while also trialing the use of body cameras to ensure the safety of its staff.

Are you ready for a first class betting experience? Today we unveiled our transformed shop on Vicar Lane! To celebrate, Emma Jones hosted a Q&A with sporting legends Nigel Martyn, Craig White and Stevie Ward. Watch this space for more on the exciting new features in the shop. 🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/z6uheYh7p3

— William Hill People (@willhillpeople) October 1, 2022

Garry Fenton, William Hill's UK Retail Director said: "We are presenting a brand new, player-centric betting shop environment that delivers a fun, immersive, and digital experience, with innovation at its core."

"As well as offering our customers a wide range of cutting-edge digital features, we've also ensured that innovations in player safety have been key to this transformation. The relaunch in Leeds was a huge success and we look forward to bringing the same experience to other William Hill betting shops around the UK soon," Fenton added.

Ben McCann, Head of Marketing – Retail & Omni, commented: "We're delighted to be able to offer our customers in Leeds such an innovative and exciting digital-focused shop. Being able to utilize the new digital features on offer will make for a far more enjoyable betting experience, and one that will appeal greatly to our existing customers while also helping to attract a new audience in the process."

Local Leeds sporting heroes Martyn, White and Ward were all present at the opening of the new retail shop and participated in a Q&A session. The ceremony was hosted by William Hill ambassador Emma Jones.

Nigel Martyn stated: "It's been fantastic to see how William Hill is progressing the in-shop betting experience for its customers and great to see the innovation involved. Leeds fans looking to place a bet in-shop are set for a completely transformed digital experience and one that will certainly improve the way that they back their club."