Business
Climate
Durham
Energy
Enviroment
Enviromental
Environment
Food & Drink
Hospitality
Newcastle
North East
North East News
Northumberland
Peterlee
Sunderland
Technology
Teesside
The owners of Newcastle’s first city centre boutique bowling alley has announced ambitious plans to launch a family-oriented site in North Tyneside.
Operators behind Lane7, which has grown to become one of the UK’s biggest late-night independent bowling and leisure operators, plan to re-open Star Bowl at Royal Quays in North Shields.
They say the opportunity to inject new life into Star Bowl was too appealing to turn down. Rachel Lee, operations director for the Darlington headquartered company, said: “Having launched our first bowling concept in Newcastle, this is an area we know really well. We’ve watched the popularity of Tynemouth and North Shields explode in recent years. With that has come a fantastically diverse leisure offering. This is a thriving area that’s crying out for more quality family-friendly attractions to complement what’s already on offer.
“We’re really excited to be bringing a new look Star Bowl to families in North Tyneside and further afield. They can expect all the usual unique finishes from one of our venues…and a few new surprises too.”
While bosses are keeping tight-lipped about what the new site will consist of, the Lane7 brand has won fans across the country by bringing new and surprising additional attractions to all of its six sites across the UK, as well as ten-pin bowling.
Other locations in Newcastle, Liverpool, Aberdeen, Middlesbrough and Birmingham have featured games like mini-golf, darts, private karaoke booths and shuffle boards. Many have featured contemporary food offerings and extensive craft beer, spirits and cocktail bars for a late-night city centre crowd.
Operators say they’re aiming for a late 2019-early 2020 opening of the site, which is expected to create 25 full and part time roles. The previous Star Bowl closed its doors unexpectedly in February this year when its owners, MFA Bowl, went into administration.
Lane7’s own growth strategy continues with plans to add another four sites in the UK in the next 18 months. It’s on target to open a vast 22,000 sq ft bowling and container park-style entertainment operation in Leicester early in the New Year, with city centre site openings in Sheffield, Bristol and Cardiff also in the pipeline.