UK Edition
David Lloyd swings back into action with activity centres for all the family
Leisure entrepreneur David Lloyd is set to stage a comeback in the industry with the launch of a series of multi-activity centres.
The former England tennis player previously founded the tennis and leisure club business that still sports his name today even though he has no formal affiliation with the company.
Now Mr Lloyd is on the cusp of launching his new venture - David Lloyd’s Adventure Parks - which will consist of three-acre sites boasting indoor and outdoor activities in one location enabling attendance all year round and helping him grab a share of the £4bn UK sports and recreation sector.
The sites, the first of which will open next year, will be aimed at the family leisure market but also seek to attract the corporate team-building audience too.
Funding for the initial sites, some of which have been identified by Mr Lloyd but not yet purchased, has been raised by Holmes Investment Properties.
The company, which is listed on the Berlin bourse, has secured a £42m development loan that will act as a war chest with which to acquire and construct the sites, which will then be leased to David Lloyd’s Adventure Parks.
Holmes Investment Properties is also raising initial equity of up to £6m through a private placement.
Mr Lloyd said this funding route would enable him to roll out three or four sites in quick succession, something he was keen to do given he has been working on the plans for at least a year and a half.
Holmes has an exclusive contract to fund and build the first 12 sites, all of which should be open by 2021.
Mr Lloyd said he expected to submit planning applications for the first few sites in the coming weeks.
Each park will have 22 activities ranging from indoor soft play for toddlers to trampolining, climbing walls, and a 6m-high zip wire that can travel up to 50kph. Mr Lloyd said no other UK leisure business would have as many activities in one location.
He envisions visitors staying for at least three hours thanks in part to the lunch facilities on offer, which will include barbecue pits and the ability buy food to cook on them.
Entry to the park will be free but visitors will pay for access to activities via smart watches, which also act as a security measure by stopping entry into an activity for someone who is too young for it.
Mr Lloyd said this model would be attractive for young families with children who are not old enough to use all of the activities, as people would only be paying for what they were using.
Asked whether the idea had been inspired by Brexit and the fact more people might opt for staycations if the pound’s weakness makes overseas travel more expensive, Mr Lloyd said this had not been a factor.
“My idea has been driven by the fact families want to do something fun in a great environment and that will not go away,” he said, adding he was “convinced our adventure parks will be a great success”.