Manchester Arndale announces expansion to leisure and entertainment offering

Manchester Arndale has expanded its entertainment offering after agreeing a 20-year lease with local bowling brand King Pins to take the former 28,890 sq ft Sports Direct unit.

This will be King Pins second location in Greater Manchester and will mark its first site in the city centre. As well as its bowling experience, King Pins also offers a variety of other activities including curling, shuffleboard, batting cages, pool, ping pong, and karaoke.

King Pins has also partnered with some of the North West’s favourite restaurants and street food brands to deliver its food kiosks. Visitors can also enjoy cocktails, housemade slushies, craft beers and sweet treats, with live sport also on offer in its bar area.

Operated by Roxy Leisure, King Pins will be the company’s second letting at Manchester Arndale, following the opening of its sister brand Roxy Ball Room a few years ago.

The ball games playground for adults, which includes six beer pong battle stations, Olympic standard ping pong tables, and two full-size shuffleboard tables has proved extremely popular with visitors to Manchester Arndale.

Alongside the likes of Urban Playground and Immersive Gamebox, these leisure operators have been great footfall drivers for the centre as they are the ideal place for families, as well as groups of friends looking to enjoy a day or night out in Manchester.

Steve Gray, Head of European Retail Asset Management at Global Mutual, commented: “Leisure and entertainment operators are increasingly becoming key features of UK shopping destinations and are helping to draw in more visitors from a broader catchment group seeking social activities.

“It is therefore great to work with Roxy Leisure again on a second family-orientated leisure offer following the success of Roxy Ball Room. King Pins is a growing and already popular local brand, and we expect their offer to appeal to visitors once they are open.

“The arrival of King Pins follows our strategy of creating a diverse tenant mix at Manchester Arndale where we look to combine leading international and local brands across the retail, leisure, and F&B space to ensure we provide the best experience and choice for our customers.”

James Travis, Brand Manager for King Pins, added: “Taking our state-of-the-art bowling concept to its first city centre location is hugely exciting, and where better to do it? Manchester Arndale is one of the UK’s leading shopping destinations, and already has an impressive entertainment offering alongside some of the best retailers on the high street.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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