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| William Hill to close 119 betting shops | William Hill to close 119 betting shops |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| William Hill says 119 of its High Street betting shops will not re-open after the shutdown forced by the coronavirus outbreak. | William Hill says 119 of its High Street betting shops will not re-open after the shutdown forced by the coronavirus outbreak. |
| The company, which has 1,500 UK outlets, said it did not expect customers to return in the numbers seen before the Covid-19 pandemic. | |
| The news came as it posted profits of £141m for the first six months of 2020, compared with a loss of £63m last year. | |
| It also said it would repay £24.5m received from the UK furlough scheme. | |
| The business did not say how many jobs were affected by the shop closures but said "the majority of colleagues [would be] redeployed within the estate". | |
| Chief executive Ulrik Bengtsson said: "I am delighted with William Hill's performance in these extraordinary times. Our team has been remarkable, supporting each other and our customers throughout the pandemic, and I would like to thank them for their continuing efforts. | |
| "The furlough scheme provided welcome and timely support, and meant we could protect the jobs of our 7,000 UK retail colleagues. Therefore, given the strength of our recovery post-lockdown, we have decided to repay the furlough funds." |