Latest news with #nightclubs
BBC News
02-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Warning issued over two suspected Southall opioid deaths
Warnings have been issued by a west London council and nightclubs after two people died in suspected drug overdoses from highly potent synthetic opioids. An investigation is under way into the "sudden deaths" of a 28-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman in Southall on 26 May, the Metropolitan Police said."This is following reports that the individuals allegedly passed away after taking an illicit substance in the form of a green pill," a spokesperson for the force added. Drug testing charity The Loop has said the pills contain synthetic opioids called Nitazenes, which can be "50 to 500 times stronger than heroin". Ealing Council said the two people who died are understood to have taken green pills with the number 80 on one face and possibly an "OP" on the police said no arrests have been made in connection with the deaths. If you have been affected by issues raised in this story, help and support is available via BBC Action Line. East London nightclub The Cause posted about the pills on their Instagram account, stating there had been "several hospitalisations across multiple London venues".BBC News has contacted the London Ambulance Service (LAS) to verify this. The Loop said the pills are believed to have been sold as oxycodone. According to the NHS this is a prescription painkiller used to treat severe pain. What are nitazenes? Nitazenes are a type of high strength synthetic opioid - drugs which have a similar effect to heroin, but made in laboratories rather than from poppy developed by the pharmaceutical industry in the 1950s as a painkiller, clinical trials were abandoned amid concerns about their harmful compounds are dangerous because they can be 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin, so drug users have no idea of the potency of what they are drugs suppress the respiratory system, so people can die as they stop breathing but the symptoms of an overdose can be reversed by taking an antidote called naloxone. The most recent government data found there were 18 deaths linked to nitazenes in London from May 2023 to June 2024. The figure was 179 across Department for Health and Social Care stated the data "does not provide a comprehensive count of all deaths that may have involved potent synthetic opioids". An Ealing Council spokesperson urged people to avoid taking the green pills "even in small amounts".Anyone considering taking any other illicit pills should not do so alone, the council said, and should consider carrying naloxone - an opioid overdose anyone feels unwell after taking a substance, they are advised to seek emergency medical attention, the spokesperson Loop has also advised where such services are available to test drugs before they are taken.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Pair install blue plaques for Stoke-on-Trent's lost nightclubs
Two music fans from Stoke-on-Trent have taken it upon themselves to install blue plaques on some of the places in the city where historic venues and nightclubs used to city has been home to a number of nightclubs over the years - including Shelley's Laserdome, which helped launch the career of DJ Sasha, and The Void, which was previously known as The well-known venues in the city include The Place in Hanley, which played host to Led Zeppelin and David Bowie, and The Golden Torch in Johnson from Shelton and Bob Leigh from Penkhull are behind an idea to pay tribute to the locations which hold fond memories for many. Mr Johnson said Historic England was in charge of the official plaques, which are almost exclusively in London, and they had only recently allowed them to be installed elsewhere in the country.A plaque for ceramic artist and designer Clarice Cliff is one of the first of the few official ones outside the capital. It is located at Cliff's former flat in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, where she lived at the height of her success."I was thinking, wouldn't it be fun to find a company that makes them, sort of 'mock' blue plaques," Mr Johnson said. He added they had cost him about £35 initially came up with the idea for The Antelope pub in Hanley, he said."Various groups and genres of music fans used to get in there," Mr Johnson told BBC Radio Leigh, who himself used to be a DJ at The Void, said the city seemed to be "at the cutting edge of whatever music scene was evolving or going on at the time".Some only lasted a few years, which made their rise to prominence all the more remarkable, he Johnson said they currently had put blue plaques up at five venues:The Top Rank, now a bingo hall, which honours DJ Chris WillamsThe Heavy Steam Machine, once the biggest disco in Europe, honouring DJ Colin CurtisThe Place, reputed to be the first disco in the UK, honouring soul DJ Trevor MThe Void, honouring DJs Pete Bromley and Kelvin AndrewsThe Antelope, honouring DJ Philip J Oliver Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RCI Hospitality Holdings Inc (RICK) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Navigating Challenges ...
Total Revenue: $65.9 million, down from $72.3 million year over year. Net Income: $3.2 million, up from $0.8 million year over year. GAAP EPS: $0.36 per share, up from $0.08 per share. Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities: $8.5 million, down from $10.8 million. Free Cash Flow: $6.9 million, down from $8.8 million. Adjusted EBITDA: $14.2 million, down from $17.2 million. Non-GAAP EPS: $0.65, down from $0.90. Nightclub Revenue: $57.5 million, a decline of 3.1% year over year. Same Store Sales Decline: 3.5% in nightclubs. Bombshells Revenue: $8.2 million, down 35.6% year over year. GAAP Expenses: $5.5 million, a decline of $1.3 million. Cash and Cash Equivalents: $32.7 million at the end of the quarter. Debt Increase: $5.9 million from December 31st, primarily due to acquisitions and construction. Debt to Trailing 12 Month Adjusted EBITDA: 3.56 times, up from 3.32 times. Shares Repurchased: 56,875 shares for $2.9 million. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 8 Warning Signs with STXS. Release Date: May 12, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. RCI Hospitality Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:RICK) reported a net income of $3.2 million, a significant increase from $0.8 million in the previous year. The company successfully acquired two upscale adult nightclubs, Flight Club in Detroit and Platinum West in South Carolina, aligning with their capital allocation strategy. RCI Hospitality Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:RICK) repurchased 56,875 common shares for $2.9 million, reducing the total shares outstanding to approximately 8.8 million. The company opened a new Bombshells location in Denver and rebranded Chicas Locas in El Paso, reducing their list of development projects. Operating income increased to $14.6 million from $11 million, with a margin improvement to 25.4% of revenues from 18.6%. Total revenues decreased by $6.4 million to $65.9 million, primarily due to closures or divestitures of non-performing Bombshells locations and severe weather impacts. Same store sales declined by 3.5%, with significant weather-related disruptions affecting business operations. Bombshells segment reported a revenue decline of 35.6% year over year, with operating results showing a loss of $227,000. Adjusted EBITDA decreased to $14.2 million from $17.2 million, reflecting lower sales and margins. Debt increased by $5.9 million, with a higher debt to trailing 12-month adjusted EBITDA ratio of 3.56 times compared to 3.32 times in the preceding quarter. Q: What is the average rate of return for seller financing and bank financing in the current market? A: Eric Langan, CEO, stated that both seller financing and bank financing are currently around 6 to 7%. Q: How has the approach of potential sellers changed compared to a few years ago? A: Eric Langan, CEO, noted that sellers previously used high 2022 numbers for valuations, but now they are more willing to negotiate using a combination of past and current numbers due to a challenging 2024 for the industry. Q: What operational changes were made at the newly acquired Flight Club in Detroit? A: Eric Langan, CEO, explained that they improved guest treatment, ensuring everyone could enjoy the club, not just high spenders, and made minor upgrades to systems and operations. Q: Can you quantify the impact of severe weather on earnings in the first quarter? A: Eric Langan, CEO, estimated a sales decline of about $700,000 per week over eight weeks due to weather, totaling approximately $5.6 million in lost sales, impacting EBITDA by around $3 million. Q: What is the status of the M&A pipeline and recent acquisitions? A: Eric Langan, CEO, mentioned that the South Carolina acquisition will contribute this quarter, and Detroit is expected to meet its $2 million run rate. The company is working on additional acquisitions and expects better performance in the upcoming quarter. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
