THE EUROSLOT PROFILE
www.euroslot-online.com Q&A: Alex Kirby
From an early start playing Space Invaders at his father Barry’s company, to Sales Manager at leading jukebox supplier NSM Music (all the while dreaming of selling powerboats), this month we profile the career of Alex Kirby.
What are the biggest positive factors for the sector right now- the drivers of growth and development? Obviously the industry has taken a hard hit by the smoking ban, the supermarkets selling alcohol as a loss leader and the poor financial climate but there was a lot of dead wood and the industry had to change. But with change comes new opportunities which makes the operator work harder to find new products to drive their business into the new era.
How did you first get involved in the amusement industry? The amusement industry has always been a part of my life, when I was a at primary school and got days off I used to go to work with my farther Barry Kirby at Tic Tac Toe Ltd based in Stafford Street, Leeds. I used to spend the day playing on the Space Invaders and Pin Ball Machines. At this time not only did my farther work for
Eddie Moss at Tic Tac Toe but my brother also worked for Alan Black at Sound Leisure which was located next door to Tic Tac Toe.
Why? What attracted you to this sector? It simply just happened, I was at college studying Art and Design and I used to work a couple of days a week in the warehouse at NSM UK Ltd (again for my farther as NSM Music had just bought out Tic Tac Toe and renamed it NSM UK LTD) My jobs were to clean and refurbish old vinyl jukeboxes, building jukebox stands, loading and unloading the trucks. After college I started full time with NSM UK Ltd before I was told by NSM Germany that family couldn’t work for family so I set up my own business 21st Centaury Tic Tac Toe buying, refurbing and selling used NSM CD Jukeboxes.
Do you think it has changed much since then? Massively, back then the amusement industry use to provide entertainment for pubs that nobody had ever seen before like Space Invaders, Pacman etc, but now with the technology of today you can have far more advanced entertainment in your home for example Xbox, play station and the internet. It was also far my buoyant back then in the late
80’s and early 90’s when CD was in its prime, nsm were selling over 100 jukeboxes a week just into the UK market. Exhibitions such as ATEI and the Blackpool Show inWinter Gardens were thriving.
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And what are the negative ones – the obstacles to growth? The biggest problem the industry faces is the pub footfall is down and the everyday drinker doesn’t have the spare money in his pocket that he use to have to put in gaming machines and jukeboxes. In my opinion to create growth in this industry we
need a break in pub group ties and we need the supermarkets to stop being able to sell alcohol as a loss leader. The government has to take a stand and support the UK traditional pub!!
Looking at your whole career, what do you reckon was your smartest move (Large or small)? My smartest move was to start up my own business when I was pushed out of NSM UK Ltd by the Germans, Just to add, I was very soon after offered my position back but I declined as I had already established 21st Century Tic Tac Toe.
And your dumbest one? Throwing a piece of cardboard into the back of the
Curriculum vitae
Born: 28/02/1976 in Harrogate
Education: 1981-1987: Pannal Primary School 1987-1992: Rossett High School 1992-1993: Roosett 6th Form 1993-1995: Harrogate Art College
Career: 1993-1996: NSM Music 1996-2004: 21st Centaury Tic Tac Toe 2004-Present: NSM Music
van at the Blackpool Show shattering Alan Blacks new Jukeboxes front Glass, oops. Sorry Alan!!!
Where do you hope you’ll be, professionally, in ten year ‘time? Miami Beach-Beach Bum haha, Seriously, NSM MUSIC OF COURSE!!!!
And Finally – if you’d never embarked on this career, what other line(s) of work would you have liked to pursue? I would have bought and sold sports boats and pleasure cruisers.
THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF THE AMUSEMENT AND STREET GAMING INDUSTRY
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