New owner going after corporate events, foreigners for Fiction Fantasy
BUSINESSMAN DAVID Annakie, who bought out Fiction night club from KLE Group, has poured roughly US$1 million into a new look for the entertainment spot.
Annakie now has full control of the club through his New York-based company Linkup Media Group. The parties have been tight-lipped about the sale price, but Sunday Business sources say it was close to US$350,000.
He has rebranded the club as Fiction Fantasy Nightclub, featuring a lounge and a new deck, which the new owner said would be used to host corporate events as an additional source of revenue.
“For the deck, we are mostly targeting the business people. It’s going to be for people who just want to do corporate events,” he said. “We rebuilt the entire club last year but then in January I decided to rebuild the deck because I didn’t like the way it turned out.”
Fiction Fantasy launched officially on Thursday night but has been open for business since last year, under Fiction Nightlife Entertainment. Under KLE’s ownership, the Kingston-based club had suffered from declining clientele – especially after KLE launched another club, Famous, in Portmore – but Annakie says he plans to drive business to Fiction Fantasy through his American operations.
“One of the added benefits of this club staying around for a while is that I live in New York and I have investments with night clubs in New York and I have very tight relationship with most celebrities and they are always looking to come to Jamaica. So, from time to time you will see a celebrity in the club,” he said.
He is also aiming to build brand loyalty among university students, who had been the early Fiction’s mainstay, to build up a legacy base of customers.
Asked what the club would do differently to keep it profitable unlike its previous loss-making run, Annakie said the venue will be renovated periodically to keep it fresh.
“I don’t believe that clubs have a life span. Most clubs don’t ever do anything about their internals. I will always change to keep it relevant and fresh and be creative with the concept,’ he said. He plans another round of remodeling in a year.
Annakie said he first bought 60 per cent ownership rights in Fiction and acquired the remaining shares at the close of last year.