BL-24 - Flipbook - Page 83
ENTREPRENEURS
Together, we’ve fought for a safer,
cleaner, better-lit West End. We even
helped to bring in My Local Bobby, a
private security team that has reduced
street crime and anti-social behaviour
around the Square.
“It’s where the show, the
supper, the sport and the spin
all belong under one roof.”
That sense of duty also runs through
our people. The Hippodrome now
employs around 850 staff, making us
one of London’s largest entertainment
employers. Through the Hippodrome
Charitable Trust, we support local
good causes and cultural festivals,
especially in the Chinese community.
We’ve won more than 40 industry
awards since opening, but the real
prize is knowing that the building feels
alive again.
The Hippodrome in the 1900s
The Hippodrome, present day
My father, Jimmy, passed away in
2022, aged 88. He’d seen the place at
its worst and lived to see it reborn. I
think he was proud that the Thomas
family 昀椀nally kept its promise to the
building.
He used to say the Hippodrome was a
theatre that never stopped performing.
I’ve tried to keep that spirit alive, to
make sure it remains part of London’s
nightly show.
People sometimes ask if I see the
Hippodrome as a casino or an
entertainment venue. The truth is it’s
both, and that’s the point. It’s where
the show, the supper, the sport and the
spin all belong under one roof.
In an era when high streets are closing
and nightclubs are vanishing, the
Hippodrome has become something
different: proof that the night-time
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ISSUE 24
Simon and Jimmy Thomas
economy can be civilised, creative and
open to everyone.
From the fairs and bingo halls of
my childhood to the theatre lights
of Leicester Square, I’ve learned
one rule that never fails: if you look
after people, they look after you. The
Hippodrome was built on that belief.
And as long as I’m here, it will stay
that way.
