Lane7 is targeting the 50-site mark in the UK, as the experiential operator gears up to launch in London this month as well as debut in Berlin next year, MD Gavin Hughes tells MCA.

The 13-strong business will also open in Cardiff, York, Dublin, and Belfast in the coming months. The offer comprises bowling and a range of other activities – including ping pong, darts, and pool – as well as an F&B offer tailored to each location.

“The aim is to wrap up those 50 [sites] quite quickly, but it’s very much about finding the right sites,” Hughes says. “Then Europe is a relatively untapped market. It doesn’t have the same level of exposure to competitive socialising.

“We have so many experiences under one roof, our repeat customer is higher than others. We certainly aim to expand as the market will allow us to.”

While the business looks to expand to well populated cities, high footfall locations are less of a concern, given it is heavily pre-booked.

“We’ve got a real mix across the estate. There’s flexibility across the brand.”

International expansion will also be dependent on finding the right sites in the right cities, although the ideal unit can be anywhere between 10,000 to 30,000 sq ft.

“The primary thing we look at is, is there a market for gaming hospitality in that city?” Hughes adds. “Then we work with third parties, make the right deals with the right businesses.”

The F&B offer at the Victoria site, for example, will serve burgers from Patty & Bun, while the Liverpool site has partnered with Pizza Punks and Bristol with Fat Hippo.

“The consumer in Edinburgh is different to that of London. Our localised F&B offer has lots of flexibility…it’s important we have that connection to the market.”

While trading is “not without its challenges,” competitive socialising has held up well across the country and London has recovered strongly.

“It feels like we’re coming into London at a good time.”

Lane7’s revamped website and digitisation of its offer has helped the business as well, although this is in tandem with human interaction, such as offering team coaching for certain games.

“The hospitality side of the business is key to bring it all together,” Hughes says. “The experience itself needs to interact with people.”