Jobs boost as new bowling alley rolls into old casino site
A14-LANE bowling alley is to open in the centre of Swansea later this year. Superbowl UK is taking over the site previously home to Aspers Casino in The City Gates complex.
The casino closed down in 2012 and the 25,500sq ft venue in the centre has been vacant ever since.
Superbowl UK, which has three additional sites across south Wales, is going to invest more than £2m in an extensive fit-out between now and the planned opening in autumn 2018, which will create 35 new jobs.
The new Superbowl UK entertainment centre will provide:
■ 14 state-of-the-art 10-pin bowling lanes;
■ Crazy Club Soft Play Centre;
■ Ninja Tag Active Obstacle Assault Course; and
■ SEGA Amusement Arcade area The new family entertainment complex joins The City Gates leisure quarter, which already includes a 12-screen Vue multiplex, 116 bed Premier Inn, a multistorey car park providing 255 spaces and a number of restaurants including TGI Fridays, Nando’s, The Smoke Haus and Unit Nineteen, a unique pop-up venue which hosts a variety of street food events.
Superbowl UK opened its very first Welsh site in 2015 in Cardiff’s Stadium Plaza, followed by Superbowl UK Merthyr and a third site in Newport’s new shopping and go-to food destination Friars Walk in 2016.
Company Director Kate Quaintance-Blackford said: “Superbowl UK Swansea presents us with an exciting opportunity to extend our distinctive brand of family entertainment further across South Wales, where we believe it will prove extremely popular.
“We offer such a diverse range of leisure activities under one roof and, because of that, we’re very confident about the success of the new site here in Swansea.”
Phil Morris of EJ Hales, leasing agent for The City Gates, said: “It’s terrific to be doing another deal with Superbowl UK who have continued to expand successfully through their delivery of superb quality entertainment facilities which provide something for every member of the family. We believe this new arrival is a wonderful win both for Swansea and for The City Gates. We look forward to welcoming Superbowl UK to the city and are excited to see the entertainment they bring with them.”
Superbowl UK will utilise local trades people throughout the fitout process and once complete, the entertainment hub will create 35 jobs across the business, from servers and party hosts to managers and chefs.
The investment in entertainment in the city follows last week’s announcement that global entertainment company ATG (Ambassador Theatre Group) signed up to run the city’s new indoor arena.
ATG operates venues in London’s West End – including the iconic Apollo and Savoy – and Broadway in New York.
Officially signing the lease to operate the new venue means the 3,500-capacity arena is on schedule to open its doors to the public in 2020. It will be able to accommodate major theatrical productions, host big name artists and accommodate international conferences and exhibitions.
The project is due to be partfunded by the £1.3bn Swansea Bay City Deal secured by the Swansea Bay City Region.
The first phase of construction is scheduled to commence later this year.