For the past I don't know how many years, folk from the coin machine industry have come to London on business/pleasure, done the touristy thing, sent the Mrs off to Harrods with a credit card and made for Piccadilly. Their 'Mecca' was the Trocadero building, which housed one of Europe's largest arca
For the past I don’t know how many years, folk from the coin machine industry have come to London on business/pleasure, done the touristy thing, sent the Mrs off to Harrods with a credit card and made for Piccadilly. Their ‘Mecca’ was the Trocadero building, which housed one of Europe’s largest arcades, Funland, owned by Family Leisure (West End these days), part of the Marty Bromley empire.
They went there because it was without doubt one of the most prestigious locations in Europe - and one of the largest - and it was the automatic destination for any new game or device. It got the demographics of site testing precisely right for the international market because of the global clientele the location attracted.
All that’s probably at an end. The operators appear to have been faced with a rents situation, which render the entire business pointless. My understanding is that attempts will take place to see if the administrators can work with the landlords to provide a workable agreement. If they can’t make the sums add up, then closure will be permanent.
That’s a great shame for the industry, not just in the UK, but everywhere. The best location with the best and most representative testing results disappears; a veritable tradition comes to an end.
