Flutter Entertainment placed its top-ranking UK and IRE officers Ian Proctor (Chairman) and Conor Grant (CEO) at the coalface of Euro 2020 trading, as the executives spent Tuesday working on the floor of a Paddy Power betting shop.
Supporting retail colleagues during a busy day featuring the final Euro 2020 Group-D matches of England vs Czech Rep and Scotland vs Croatia, Grant manned the counter at Paddy Power Headrow, Leeds, whilst Procter donned the uniform at Kings Cross, London.
During their respective visits, shop managers took Proctor and Grant through the customer journey, with particular attention given to the COVID safety measures in place, which include QR check-in, Perspex screens and hand sanitisers.
Following their shop inductions, Proctor and Grant were charged with looking after the shop tills, serving customers in the build-up to make-or-break night of football action.
“Thank you to everyone at Paddy Power Headrow, Leeds for showing me the ropes today, it was great to be back behind the counter,” said Conor Grant,
“The ongoing impact of Covid-19 on the retail sector is clear and it’s been a tough year for our colleagues who have had to adapt to working in an ever-changing environment. However, it was great to see our shops and high streets open for business again and to be able to welcome our customers back safely.”
Placed under lockdown orders during the winter period, betting shops across England and Wales were allowed to reopen on 12 April.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Flutter Entertainment committed to maintaining all +3,000 UK and Ireland retail staff employed, accounting for a cost of circa £10 million, with the FTSE100 choosing not to use the government’s furlough scheme.
“I was lucky enough to spend some time with colleagues in our Paddy Power Kings Cross branch today, ahead of another big night for Scotland,” Proctor added. . “It’s evident that the reopening of retail and return of live sports has been welcomed by customers and our shop colleagues.”
“We’ve seen steady trade throughout the tournament so far and anticipate that will grow as our home nations proceed through to the knockout stages. A massive thank you to all of our retail colleagues for the fantastic job they’re doing to keep our customers safe and entertained.”