From the Retail Times
One of the UK’s most popular retail and leisure destinations, atria Watford, has announced that Flip Out, the number one indoor adventure park in the UK, is set to open later this year. The new leisure operator will remodel part of the former John Lewis site into 33,000sqft of immersive entertainment for families and friends to enjoy.
Along with creating new jobs for the local community Flip Out will have a vast array of activities available to enjoy, including the first ever hi-tech dodgems in the UK. Other activities will include soft play, the Flip Out PS5 Gaming Zone, roller-skating, donut slides, trampolines and a giant inflatable area.
As part of the re-model the new venue will feature a large Ninja Playground arena filled with challenging obstacles and tasks for friends and family to go up against each other in an extreme game of ninja superiority. The atria Watford location will also house Flip Out’s most immersive Laser Quest experience in the UK. Players will be up against one another on an incredible space themed stage surrounded by bright lights, special effects, mazes and much more.
The hugely popular drift trikes will make an appearance at the new venue, allowing visitors to skid their way to victory against other competitors. After the fun has been had Flip Out guests can refresh themselves at the onsite diner, indulging in fan favourites such as pizza, hot dogs, burgers and Costa Coffee.
As one of the leading retail and leisure destinations in the UK, atria Watford spans 1.4 million sq ft and is home to hundreds of brands, of all shapes and sizes – from small independents through to household names – including NEXT, Mango, Uniqlo and Hollister. Owned by property company SGS and asset managed by Global Mutual in conjunction with Savills as property managers the centre is excited to welcome this new offering later this year.
Richard Beese, co-owner of We Do Play, which specialises in creating immersive leisure and hospitality experiences, one of which is Flip Out, said: “The team at We Do Play are over the moon to be launching in atria Watford, transforming the sizeable John Lewis unit into a centre of adrenaline- fuelled attractions that are fun for every single member of the family and birthday party packages will be out of this world.
“Over the last year, we have opened attractions, including Flip Out, Putt Putt Social and VRXtra in a number of shopping centres and we have seen what a key role they play in the footfall of shopping centres. Families who are heading to the shops and pop into one Flip Out after, or families who are heading to Flip Out but may visit some of the retailers on their way home. We can’t wait to start on the build at atria Watford.
“The team at the shopping centre are great to work with and are ensuring that the whole experience for us, from taking on the lease to starting the transformation of the former John Lewis site goes smoothly.”
Steve Gray, head of European retail asset management at Global Mutual, commented: “Experiences now sit at the core of retail. Guests no longer visit our centres simply to shop – footfall is driven by the offer of a ‘day out’, with a strong leisure and hospitality offer central to this.
“This is why we’re delighted to see Flip Out join the atria Watford line-up. This is somewhere fun and exciting that families and children of all ages can enjoy. We know the opening will create a real buzz.
“It joins an already strong leisure line-up – including Rock Up, Puttshack, Escape Hunt and Boom Battle Bar.
