Yesterday a report in The Times have confirmed the departure of Rank managing director Simon Wykes.  Mr Wykes 39 has been with the group for 3 years and had been charged with bringing the group through the tough challenges of dealing with the smoking ban and the implementation of recent legislative changes.

The move will serve wider implications to the bingo industry as the shock announcement leaves a hole in the Bingo Association due the fact he had just been appointed as the Bingo Association chairman.  The Bingo Association are now having to re-think how the board is going to be made up after the departure of Sir Peter Fry and the Association's complete restructure since the departure of Gala Bingo.  It had been decided that Simon Wykes would have a huge role in the Association but this was due to the role in which he played with the Rank Group.

In comparison with with many other bingo organisations including Gala Bingo, Top Ten and Buckingham Bingo, Mr Wykes has been largely successful in stabalising the Mecca Bingo group of clubs and even managed to show some signs of growth this year.  The move is a shock to everyone in the industry which appears to have been Mecca bingo's decision.

Simon Wykes has vacated his role with immediate effect and receives a payoff equivalent to a year's salary.  Ian Burke, the Rank group's chairman will now take full operational control of the Mecca group whilst a successor is found.  Ian Burke paid tribute to the work Mr Wykes had done and justified their decision saying that fresh blood will have a galvanising effect on the business and expect further growth.