Thorpe appointed new Arena Leisure chair

       UK racecourse owner and operator Arena Leisure has named David Thorpe as its new chair, following the resignation of Raymond Mould after four years in the role.
       The appointment comes as the group reported trading in line with its expectations for the four months to 30 April, with a 5 per cent increase in average attendances compared with last year.
       However, Arena said it expects the Levy Board's plans to reduce incentive payments for venues to hold events at "less profitable times of the year" to impact profits by £200,000 for the current year.
       An Arena spokesperson said: "Trading in the year to date has been in line with our expectations and we anticipate that the moderate improvements we are seeing will continue. "Trading over the important summer period is more dependent on economic recovery and consumer sentiment and therefore, at this stage, remains inherently uncertain."