£1m boost helps Marco’s achieve goals

● Bank funding helps well-known family firm scale football offering

unique facilities within Edinburgh and we’re thrilled to be establishing a new site at Marine Drive.”

The finance was allocated from HSBC’S national £10 billion SME fund to actively support UK SMES, with £500m designated specifically to support Scottish firms.

Andrew Little, HSBC head of business banking in Scotland, said: “We were more than pleased to support Marco’s Leisure. It’s great to see a family-run company fulfil its growth potential and generate 20 jobs in Scotland, which is an example of the flourishing business landscape we currently have here.”

Marco’s Leisure is owned by the Demarco family, one of Edinburgh’s oldest sports and leisure operators, having owned various business entities before opening a snooker club in Morningside in 1975.

The original Marco’s was opened by snooker legend Luigi Umberto Bert’ Demarco. The group now also includes World of Bowling behind the Corn Exchange, which opened in 2000 and houses 12 AMF tenpin bowling lanes, amusements, snooker, pool and a sport café and bar.

In October 2014, Marco’s bought a 1.4-acre piece of land in Chesser for £550,000 from livestock auctioneer John Swan.