Key requirements for a good Saturday night out 25 years ago were very simple. Who sells cheap trebles, where can I get a pizza/kebab at closing time and do I take a coat (obviously not)?
We didn’t need gimmicks – maybe a table and seating as a bonus depending on your company – but it’s fair to say alcohol was the main driver. Now it’s all change. People expect more for their buck on a night out, with many preferring more ‘experiential leisure’ than a pint.
Competitive socialising – the term which covers the growing trend combining games and activities with food and drink – is on the rise across the Ƶ, and is especially visible here in the North East, where we’ve seen a boom in the number of companies opening venues for everything from axe throwing, crazy golf and interactive shooting to boutique bowling, indoor cricket, arcade games and escape rooms.
The next year will see even more openings in Newcastle city centre including darts-themed bar Flight Club, and two more sites for boutique bowling company Lane7, one of which could include a subterranean games venue.
So why are ‘competitive socialising’ venues proving so popular? And can they be sustained at a time when people are not so willing to spend huge sums on a night out, thanks to rising inflation?
From a business point of view, research carried out by the Gamechangers Organisation has shown that customer dwell time increases up to 72% when provided with entertainment. It also increases footfall, while encouraging repeat visits.
Social darts company Flight Club, will be hoping to see customers return again and again to its proposed site in Newcastle’s Eldon Square – its 13th in the Ƶ.
Steve Moore, CEO and founder of Red Engine, the hospitality group behind Flight Club and its shuffleboard sister firm Electric Shuffle, says falling alcohol consumption in younger generation plays a part in competitive socialising’s success.
He said: “When we came up with Flight Club and Electric Shuffle, we wanted to create a memorable experience that offers more than an average pub or bar night out. The pub and bar vibe with great food and drink but with the addition of fast-paced games that anyone can play and enjoy. It has proven to be a winning combination.
“It’s widely reported that Gen Z is drinking less than any other generation, and people are more thoughtful about where they spend their time and money. People want more from their nights out and competitive socialising venues deliver on this.
“I think another factor in the popularity of bars like Flight Club and Electric Shuffle is their versatility. Their appeal spans so many groups from friends getting together to date night, multi-generational gatherings and corporate events. There is something for everyone to enjoy on any occasion.”
Many of the current operators now expanding into the North East and other Ƶ regions started operating in London, and where London leads, the regions generally follow. That was obvious to business consulant Debrah Dhugga, former COO at North East firm Apartment Group, where she brought many new concepts as part of the full redevelopment of its Collingwood Street sites.
Madame Koo, House of Smith and Florita’s were closed just before the pandemic, and were replaced with new inter-connected venues ChachaBuchi, La Fee, Verano and Howlers, which included a subterranean play zone with a bowling alley and virtual reality zones and karaoke booths.
Ms Dhugga explained how leisure venues now need to work much harder to entice customers – and making them affordable and appealing to a range of people and ages is key to their success.
She said: “Lifestyles are changing and non-alcholic drinks are on a massive hype – people still want to go out but where 10, or even five years ago the big thing about going out was alcohol and partying, the focus now is on wellness, fun and entertainment. And it’s more about group activities too, instead of just going out and sitting and drinking beer for five hours.
“You also tend to find mixed parties, rather than just groups of guys and groups of girls. Competitive socialising opens up the market for family trade during off-peak periods.
“Traditional places will be very busy during weekends but midweek there’s not much happening - so this is about how you can use your venue and open up the market, making it a more family-friendly offering. You can’t just have your business operating on a two-day week offering.
“I think the Ƶ is getting clever but there’s a still a lot of work to do, and I think operators are looking wider for their offering because they have to - because of what’s happening with the cost of living, rising minimum wages and people not being able to afford to go out as much. Businesses have to be able to offer affordability, so people can go out as a mixed party. If you can offer that as well, then you can have the mega socialising at the weekend with stags, hens and corporate parties which are a limited market on their own.
“You can’t just market these activities for adults only if you want to open a seven-days a week business. Operators have got to look at what their offering is, what their market space is and how they can cover that – if you’re not successful on a three day week you might as well close down.”
Lane7 is one of the region’s biggest leisure successes, having first opened in Newcastle in 2013 and expanded to 13 other key cities. Next year, the original boutique bowling business will potentially operate three Newcastle city centre sites.
The firm already offers an indoor cricket concept in the city, alongside other games, and its newest sites have pledged to offer every game imaginable. Earlier this summer the company got the green light from council planners to become the first tenant at the revamped former Sports Direct store within Monument Mall, where it is set to launch a new gaming experience with duckpin bowling lanes, arcade games and other activities. Nearby, and set to open in Spring 2025, the firm is taking over the two floors of the former nightclub and bar The Lofts and The Hustle where it is promising a vibrant hub of activity, with premium bowling, golf, shuffleboard, darts, beer pong, arcades and a pool hall.
The company said firms like Lane7 have seen a boost because people generally want to be kept entertained. The firm’s founder Tim Wilks, also firmly believes that it’s companies like Lane7 that are helping to revitalise city centre retail and mixed use schemes, with Lane7 and similar ventures fast becoming the anchor tenants of big schemes.
That’s certainly backed up in Newcastle, where the vacant Debenhams which is set to be turned into a new entertainent, food, drink, culture and leisure avenue, and elsewhere in Eldon Square, where unused space will be fitted out for electric go-karting, batting nets, mini golf, bowling and virtual reality games.
Mr Wilks said: “Socialising with entertainment serves the growing number of young people who generally consume less alcohol compared to 10 years ago; that has led them to seek experiences and environments that foster “special moments”, whether or not alcohol is involved.
“Additionally, the appeal of immersive leisure venues is bolstered by the variety of activities they offer, which means there is something to suit . Customers generally want ‘bigger’ experiences and are prepared to pay for them if they are of premium quality and are adaptable to continually changing demands. Lane7 has tapped into that market.
“My own experience as a developer – initially in the buy-to-let sector – has also given me a strong understanding of the intrinsic value of property. That has been key in helping me to guide the business, especially in the early years of Lane7 when many landlords still favoured a traditional gym offer, instead of unique concepts, such as boutique or luxury bowling.
“At that time, we had to convince the real estate audience of the importance of experiential leisure concepts in generating footfall, especially – for example – as a catalyst for boosting food and beverage trade at retail centres and schemes.”
He added: “Our growing presence in the market is also a result of the decline of the traditional department store in many large retail centres, giving concepts such as Lane7 the opportunity to become the ‘main draw’ – effectively taking the place of conventional anchor tenants.”
