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ASSOCIATION OF PLAY INDUSTRIES
being maximised by the better operators Those who fail to research their local refurbishments with many operators
and the realisation that spending wisely on market, or who fail to take into account seeking to reinvent and reinvest in their
a decent toddler area rather than the competitors will struggle. Central to the centre after 3 years of trading.
biggest, highest or longest astra slide so new breed’s product offering is a higher
that your midweek business is strong reliance on creating a successful local Conclusion
is certainly being seen across the API brand and this has filtered back to the What the successful centres are finding is
indoor membership. As an operator it is manufacturers who now offer a whole host that a basic requirement for sustainability
so important to command the pre of themed products and branded items. is first and foremost the quality of
school market. Again long term success can only be location. The industry will always be
This new era of operator has coincided achieved via continued investment of time affected by seasonality and the weather
with the creation of the Play Providers in your brand and its development. This but long term success can be achieved if
Association (PPA), which allows operators should result in loyal, regular customers. management with solid experience in
who take high standards of operation and (See www.playproviders.org.uk) either play or leisure is combined with
service consistency seriously, to For manufacturers looking forward the sophisticated CRM systems, well trained
differentiate themselves from other market is still growing but is certainly staff with a customer focused mindset
operators and drive the industry forward. being affected by the current economic and good financial management systems.
There is a huge education process slowdown. Angus Firth point towards a Add in a high quality broad product, clean
required to develop customer slowing home market but are still and safe facilities, a quality food &
understanding of the value offered by this expanding because of new business beverage offer and you are almost there.
new product. Without this understanding opportunities in emerging overseas It will be interesting to see whether the
the industry will find it a challenge to drive markets such as Denmark, Sweden etc; multi site operator model will be
the pricing levels to a point where they where multi site operators have got more successful over a larger number of sites
give a worthwhile return on investment. of a foothold than in the UK market. Soft over a prolonged period of time. The
There have already been, and will Brick on the other hand are seeing more market for this product is clearly there,
continue to be, many business casualties. and more business in play centre so watch this space.
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