BetFred agrees Stan James deal to satisfy OFT

BETFRED, the Warrington-based bookmaker, has agreed to sell 25 betting shops to rival Stan James in the aftermath of its acquisition of The Tote last year.

The disposals – to a single buyer – were required by the Office of Fair Trading on local competition grounds.

Ten of the 25 shops BetFred is selling are based in the North West. Locations where Tote and BetFred are in close proximity include Leigh, Pendlebury, Wythenshawe and Rusholme, in Greater Manchester, as well as shops in Blackpool and Liverpool.

The OFT, which is now consulting on the proposed deal said: “The proposed purchaser, Stan James, is a bookmaker operating 68 local betting offices (LBOs)…Stan James has no LBOs within 1,600 metres of a divestment LBO.

“The proposed sale also does not raise competition concerns at a national or regional level given Stan James’s relatively small size at these levels.”

“Subject to the outcome of this consultation, the OFT considers Stan James to be a suitable purchaser of the Divestment LBOs.”

BetFred, which now has more than 1,300 shops, was founded in 1967 in Salford by Fred Done, who still runs the business, and also owns its with his younger brother Peter.