The Rank Group

The company was formed to acquire the business interests of the Rank Organisation, which itself was formed out of the business interests of its founder, J. Arthur Rank.[3] Until the start of the 21st century, the group still had a tremendous amount of leisure holdings; however, as the decade progressed it divested these interests, beginning with Pinewood Studios[4] and the Odeon cinema chain.[5] It also shed its engineering interests, such as its share in Rank Xerox, selling Rank Leisure Machine Services to Gamestec. It sold its holiday and recreation facilities, Oasis Whinfell Forest was sold to Center Parcs UK and all its Butlins, Warner and Haven Holidays facilities were all sold to Bourne Leisure.[6]

The company then sold off its nightclub division, Rank Entertainment, as well as its interest in Universal Studios Florida, and disposed of the Rank film library to Carlton Communications, to which it had recently also sold the Rank Screen Advertising Film Division, which was latterly known as Cinema Media (now Digital Cinema Media).[7][8]

In December 2005, Rank sold Deluxe Film (formerly Rank Film Laboratories) for £430 million, effectively ending its 60-year association with the film and cinema business.[9] This meant Rank Leisure had become focused on gambling operations, with its remaining business interests concentrating on Grosvenor and G Casinos, Top Rank and Mecca Bingo, and online gambling through Rank Interactive, after the company acquired the Blue Square betting business in 2003.[10] Finally leaving all non-gambling leisure behind, in December 2006, Rank sold the Hard Rock business, excluding the London casino venue which was rebranded to G Casinos, to the Seminole Tribe of Florida for US$965 million.[11]

In May 2012, Rank agreed to purchase 23 casinos from Gala Coral for £205 million.[12] After the Competition Commission ruled that the deal would only go ahead if four venues were excluded, in March 2013 Rank agreed to purchase 19 casinos from Gala Coral for £179 million, making Rank the UK's largest casino operator.[13] In April 2013, the group sold its Blue Square interactive gaming business, launched in 1999, to Betfair.[14] In January 2017, Rank Group and Mecca Bingo announced the renewal of their contract, which guarantees the use of Playtech's Virtue Fusion platform at the bingo site for another 10 years.[15]

In January 2015, Rank announced that it would move to a new technology platform supplied by Bede Gaming. The public announcement said the rationale for the new platform is to give greater control, flexibility and speed in integrating third-party and retail content and functionality. The platform will integrate Rank's digital and land-based businesses to allow for a single view for the customer.[23]

• The Rank Group
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• Mecca Bingo
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