Merry Hill is celebrating the one-year anniversary of Hollywood Bowl’s launch, a pivotal moment in the continued success of the retail and leisure destination. Since opening, Hollywood Bowl has helped form a new leisure quarter alongside an array of F&B options, creating record performance that has vindicated the investment to reposition this part of the centre.
Spanning 36,000sq ft on the upper level, Hollywood Bowl offers a premier entertainment experience with 24 bowling lanes, including six VIP lanes and a plethora of amusements, and sits alongside a variety of recently added dining establishments including wagamama, ASK Italian and Wingstop. All four were part of an asset management initiative to create a new hub for family-friendly entertainment in the destination, and all have brought new visitors to Merry Hill, with the entrances around the leisure quarter now the busiest in the centre. Leisure quarter footfall is up 43% in the past year, following the launch of Hollywood Bowl.
The leisure quarter has become a key attraction within Merry Hill and has quickly established itself as the most dynamic area of the centre. Overall, Merry Hill has seen footfall rise by 5.4%, and sales rise by 4.8%, with over half of that sales increase directly attributable to new leisure quarter tenants, including Hollywood Bowl. This demonstrates a shift in emphasis geared towards providing new and exciting reasons to visit the destination, encouraging trips from further afield and for longer.
Alistair Winning, asset manager at Sovereign Centros from CBRE, asset managers of Merry Hill, said: “The past year has been transformative for Merry Hill, with Hollywood Bowl and the leisure quarter playing a crucial role in its success. The centre’s ability to attract leading operators across retail, dining, and leisure is a testament to its status as a top UK destination, and the successful rebalancing of its tenant mix to introduce a carefully considered level of F&B and entertainment that can support our best-in-class retail. We are proud to see this area flourish, as the centre and its community really starts to feel the benefit of investment in the leisure quarter.”
David Williams, Operations Director at Hollywood Bowl Group, added: “It’s incredibly rewarding to know that Hollywood Bowl has played a central role in attracting so many visitors to this fantastic destination. Our expectations for Merry Hill were high, as a new anchor space within a strong catchment, and we’re delighted to be performing to those expectations. Hollywood Bowl has helped create a must-visit area within Merry Hill, and we look forward to continuing this success in the years to come.”
Jack Xin, Restaurant Manager at Bon Pan Asian Restaurant, also within Merry Hill’s leisure quarter, said: “Hollywood Bowl has truly energised the leisure quarter at Merry Hill, bringing a lively atmosphere that has significantly boosted our business. The surge in footfall has introduced us to a growing number of new and returning guests eager to enjoy a complete day of entertainment and dining. We’re thrilled to be part of this dynamic community and are excited about the continued success and growth as Merry Hill evolves.”
The one-year milestone of Hollywood Bowl at Merry Hill underscores the centre’s ongoing evolution and reinforces its position as the premier retail and leisure destination in the West Midlands. As the leisure quarter continues to grow and attracts new operators, Merry Hill remains at the forefront of delivering a top-tier experience for all its visitors, exemplified by the upcoming national debuts for Harvey Norman and XF Gym, which will provide new anchor functions for the top 10 UK destination.
