Bowling brand King Pins has taken the former 28,890 sq ft Sports Direct unit at Manchester Arndale for its second location in Greater Manchester.
In addition to bowling, King Pins also offers a variety of family activities including curling, shuffleboard, batting cages, pool, ping pong and karaoke.
Steve Gray, head of European retail asset management at Global Mutual, joint asset manager of Manchester Arndale with M&G Real Estate, said: “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. This has resulted in consistently high footfall across the centre, and near full occupancy of the available leasing space, reinforcing Manchester Arndale’s position as one of the premier attractions in the north west.”
James Travis, brand manager for King Pins, added: “We couldn’t be happier to be opening our second site at Manchester Arndale. 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.
“With lanes, games, food, drinks and more; King Pins offers a place for the whole family to have some king-sized fun, as well as the perfect nighttime venue for friends to get together and try something a little different. We can’t wait to get going, and to bring the crown jewels of bowling to Manchester City Centre.”
Metis Real Estate and Time Retail Partners are Manchester Arndale’s retained letting agents.
