Fri 10th Oct 2014 - Former Yates's boss to head Grosvenor Casinos Former Yates’s boss to head Grosvenor Casinos: Mark Jones, former head of the Yates Group and currently managing director of Mecca Bingo, has been appointed managing director of another wing of the Rank Group, Grosvenor Casinos. Jones joined Mecca in 2009 from Premium Bars and Restaurants, where he was executive chairman. Before that he was chief executive of Pizza Hut UK, chief executive at Yates Group, owner of Yates’s Wine Lodges, managing director of Whitbread High Street Brands and operations director at Pizza Hut. Rank’s chief executive, Henry Birch, said: “Over the past five years, Mark has successfully led Mecca Bingo, stabilising our retail business and overseeing the growth of our digital operation, establishing meccabingo.com as a leader in its market. In addition to his time at Rank, Mark has a wealth of experience in the leisure industry and I know he will be able to take Grosvenor Casinos, which is already a strong and well-established business, to the next level.” Jones said: “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity of taking on the role of managing director at Grosvenor Casinos at what I see a very exciting time in the extension of the brand. Less than 10% of the UK population has ever visited a casino, so there is a massive opportunity to showcase what we have to a wider audience.” Phil Urban, the current managing director of Grosvenor Casinos, and before that managing director of pub restaurants at Whitbread, is leaving to join Mitchells & Butlers at the end of this month. Rank said it was undertaking an external search to find a new managing director for Mecca Bingo.