Fitzdares, an online and retail bookmaker with a brand built around a luxury experience, has announced another expansion of its hospitality efforts.
The London-headquartered company has announced a new Fidzdares Club in Chester, located in the Eastgate area of the city around half a mile away from Chester Racecourse.
FItzdares has a hospitality focus to fan engagement, operating a members club in West London as well as venues at other prominent UK racetracks. The new club in Chester marks the company’s first venture in Northern England, where there are around 20 racecourses.
“It’s been a hectic week for Fitzdares as we open our new Club in Chester, our first venture north of the Watford Gap,” said William Woodhams, Fitzdares CEO, who added that the venue will show the ‘best live sport’.
He continued: “We are excited to collaborate with Oliver Brown, who hold the official top hat licence for Royal Ascot, and share this fantastic space on Chester’s iconic Eastgate.”
In addition to the Fitzdares Clubs in Chester and West London, the company also operates a venue in the Costwolds, a club at Ascot racecourse, and last year opened its own pub at the Royal Windsor racecourse.
The company is unique in terms of fan engagement and marketing in English bookmaking due to its focus on hospitality, whilst many other bookmakers focus primarily on sports marketing like sponsorship and brand ambassador deals.
This does not mean that Fitzdares is a stranger to sponsorship. The company is a long-term partner of Fulham FC, as well as the aforementioned Royal Windsor racecourse. In tandem with announcing its new Chester club, the company has also announced an expansion of its partnership with Windsor for another three years.
This renewal will commence on 15 December and coincide with the return of jump racing to the racecourse for the first time in 20 years. The deal will also see Fitzdares sponsor the venue all year round.
“We’re also thrilled to announce that we have signed a three-year deal to continue our sponsorship at Royal Windsor Racecourse and their Sprint Series, meaning we will be Windsor’s all-year-round sponsor,” Woodhams continued.
“As part of this commitment, we have increased the space of our Club at Windsor by taking the Queen Mother’s old dining room and have installed open fires to bring our space up to speed for the new Jumps season. We’re so excited for the return of Jumps racing to the track and think our Clubhouse is more than ready for what winter has in store!”
