LCFC plans

[Jacko27]

Do we think that the ambitious plans announced by Leicester City Football Club have implications for us? The main features of the plans include increasing capacity to 40,000 and the construction of a 220 bed hotel. They are just plans at the moment; they could be modified and they may never happen but if they do could they affect us? I suppose what I'm hinting at is whether support might be lured away from Tigers and whether the viability of our hotel asset could be affected.

[Noggs]

In the main a different supporter base although clearly there are some who follow both. In the main there are no clashes of home fixtures which makes this possible.

Leicester has a lack of hotel beds and over the last few years a number of new hotels have been built including some currently under construction. One more is unlikely to make a difference and it won't go ahead unless there is seen to be a commercial case fort he construction.

[johnthegriff]

Tigers will not be the owners of the hotel on the Granby Hall site so no negative financial implication for us, for the City of Leicester it must be a good thing to have two magnificent conference and event venues well served by nearby hotel accommodation and parking plus two top sporting teams heightening prominence of our city for sport, business and culture visitors and tourists..

[MurphysLaw]

[quote=johnthegriff post_id=789760 time=1627474259 user_id=7213]
Tigers will not be the owners of the hotel on the Granby Hall site so no negative financial implication for us, for the City of Leicester it must be a good thing to have two magnificent conference and event venues well served by nearby hotel accommodation and parking plus two top sporting teams heightening prominence of our city for sport, business and culture visitors and tourists..
[/quote]

This is true, but would it not put a King Power hotel in direct competition with Tigers for the conference/wedding/event market at sporting stadia?

[ads]

Would the rugby fans want to have their wedding at a football stadium and vice versa?

[MurphysLaw]

[quote=ads post_id=789781 time=1627484047 user_id=997]
Would the rugby fans want to have their wedding at a football stadium and vice versa?
[/quote]

Maybe not, especially if there is a choice of both.
Aside from some weddings, wouldn't a competing venue impact conferences, corporate days, other events etc?

[RagingBull]

It's a big area it isn't some small town.

[MurphysLaw]

[quote=RagingBull post_id=789803 time=1627499348 user_id=10459]
It's a big area it isn't some small town.
[/quote]

I am aware of the size of Leicester, and that there is an apparent shortage of hotel beds in the City. However, the market for conferences etc. is not inelastic and all I am saying is that a competing venue in a very similar location and setting is likely to have an impact on the Tigers stadium to some degree.
On the plus side, the size and quality of the accompanying hotel might be a factor, and it does seem that the hotel on the former Granby Halls site will be a good quality operator. It also has the advantage of timing, giving it a likely couple of years or so to become an established venue.

[TigerCam]

Would the rugby fans want to have their wedding at a football stadium and vice versa?

Probably would not be given the choice, they will just do as they are told

[RagingBull]

Unless I'm wrong but hasn't City been doing conferences and weddings for a while now anyway? it isn't like that is a new side to their business.

If anything the added Megastore and apartments might make Tigers seem more like a quieter option potentially.

[sk 88]

Is 40,000 big enough to host a European Rugby finals weekend? Smallest so far seems to be around 50,000 so probably not but might be worth a cheeky exploratory bid.

Personally not convinced there is a market for an indoor arena particularly, the Ricoh is better located for those kinds of things being just off a motorway and pre-Wasps only made a modest profit; post Wasps has made a stinking loss (though that could be because of parking costs on them that they only sort of generate).

The big danger for LCFC is that 40k can only be filled in the top half of the Premiership and that simply won't last for ever. Probably a risk worth taking, but that is the main concern I think.

RE: Hotel, it is not clear from my reading of the proposals if this is an extra to the existing hotel or a replacement.

[kk20gb30]

Leicester City are a very well run Football Club in all aspects - it would have been inconceivable for them not to look at other revenue streams and act accordingly in what they see as their best interests .....