Giant British bookmaker William Hill has reportedly announced that it will be merging its online and retail divisions and putting the current boss of the former, Phil Walker, in charge of the newly-combined operation.

According to a Tuesday report from the Racing Post newspaper, the London-headquartered operator detailed that the move will allow it to better focus on the challenges lying ahead in hopes of being able to quickly recover from a recent downturn in business caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Challenging circumstances:

The Racing Post reported that William Hill strengthened its balance sheet last month by raising some £224 million ($279 million) via a share placement and that the bookmaker is now eager to accelerate its domestic expansion plans. However, the firm was also recently forced to shutter some 713 betting shops as a direct result of the British government’s decision that purportedly lowered the maximum stake for fixed-odds betting terminals from £100 ($125) per spin down to £2 ($2.50).

Departing director:

Ulrik Bengtsson replaced Philip Bowcock as Chief Executive Officer for William Hill in October and his latest changes are to moreover reportedly see the bookmaker’s Retail Managing Director, Nicola Frampton, step down after six years in the role. She joined the bookmaker from accounting giant Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited in 2010 and purportedly declared that it has ‘been an absolute privilege’ to lead the London-listed company’s retail division since June of 2014.

Frampton reportedly stated…

“Our shops play a vital role in our success and I look forward to working with Phil on a handover plan in the coming months.”

Coming cooperation:

Hill reportedly explained that Walker has been in charge of its online business for the last 18 months after almost eight years with rival sportsbetting operators Ladbrokes and Gala Coral Group Limited. It purportedly pronounced that he is now set to work with Frampton over the course of the next six weeks in an effort to efficiently amalgamate the two divisions.

Bengtsson reportedly proclaimed…

“We will be immensely sad to say goodbye to Nicola Frampton when the time comes. Nicola has been with William Hill for ten years and has been a driving force on the executive team as well as being instrumental in reshaping and transforming our retail business.”

Swedish sayonara:

In other changes and William Hill reportedly proclaimed that it will be closing the Swedish office it established in 2018 following its acquisition of Scandinavian online casino operator Mr Green and Company AB and subsequently intends to migrate this facility’s duties ‘to Krakow or Leeds.’

Reportedly read a statement from William Hill…

“We’re adopting a team-based approach to product development in which teams are aligned to the business area they support. This requires us to structure the right number of teams with the right skills, which means we’ve had to make some tough decisions about locations. Our intention is to close the Stockholm office by the end of the year.”