The rapid expansion of UK operator the Dransfield Novelty Company, will continue once the pandemic ends and, in the meantime, the business is “well-placed” to handle the pause in its expansion.
The company, based in Leeds, was traditionally a major operator of club machines, higher payout gaming devices that were sited in private members’ organisations, such as working men’s clubs, sporting clubs, etc., where membership was required to enter.
Last year Dransfield acquired Gameco Holdings, the owner of the major manufacturer and specialist in rebuilding analogue AWPs, Reflex Gaming. It was not the first time that Dransfield had been involved in AWP manufacturing, for in the 1970s it invested in Carfield Engineers, a small developer in Leeds. That company went on to develop and patent the famous nudge feature that became a standard on many AWP machines.
The expansion of Dransfield, last year, with the acquisition of Reflex was to be followed by the takeover of Chilver’s Automatics towards the end of 2019. Chilver’s is a south-east England independent operator in pubs.
Now Dransfield has a full range of products for most sectors of the business, including pubs, clubs, arcades and family entertainment centres, both operating in those areas or supplying equipment to go into them. Recognising its new status within the UK industry, Dransfield took a booth at the January EAG show in London.
The most recently published accounts for the company show only the first half of 2019 during which the business made a profit of £5.9m, up from £5.3m in the previous comparative period.
The expansion plans were in place to continue, but the coronavirus pandemic has placed a temporary halt to the activities of CEO Chris Haley and his team. However, they are equipped and prepared to continue the expansion once the lockdown is lifted, hopefully later in the year.
