Ten Entertainment, the bowling alley operator, has said the strategy for 2019 will centre around continued improvement of the food and beverage offer, as well as new concept development.
The Duncan Garrood-led operator this morning updated on trading in 2018, when like-for-like sales grew 2.7%, with total sales up 7.5% to £76.4m.
The group, which currently has 43 centres, also announced it had conditionally agreed to acquire a site in Southport.
Garrood said after a full review of the operation he had conclude there were “further opportunities to develop the existing estate through improvements in the customer experience, food and beverage quality, innovation and the acquisition of new sites”.
Late in 2018, three new products were introduced in trial sites, including HyperBowl – a new concept based around the fusing of video game elements into bowling, at it Star City site in Birmingham. The group is also trialling a darts-based product at Star City with automated scoring system, and an escape room concept at its site in Southampton, working in partnership with an “established local business”.
Garrood said: “Both darts and escape rooms are growing in popularity and sit well in our competitive socialising, entertainment-based proposition, need relatively little space, and can be supported by our ancillary products. We will monitor these trials as we progress through FY19.”
Precis
Ten Entertainment, the bowling alley operator, has said the strategy for 2019 will centre around continued improvement of the food and beverage offer, as well as new concept development. The Duncan Garrood-led operator this morning updated on trading in 2018, when like-for-like sales grew 2.7%, with total sales up 7.5% to £76.4m. The group, which currently has 43 centres, also announced it had conditionally agreed to acquire a site in Southport. Garrood said after a full review of the operation he had conclude there were “further opportunities to develop the existing estate through improvements in the customer experience, food and beverage quality, innovation and the acquisition of new sites”. Late in 2018, three new products were introduced in trial sites, including HyperBowl – a new concept based around the fusing of video game elements into bowling, at it Star City site in Birmingham. The group is also trialling a darts-based product at Star City with automated scoring system, and an escape room concept at its site in Southampton, working in partnership with an “established local business”.
