1. AMF Bowling

2. The Original Bowling Company Ltd

3. Bowlplex Ltd

4. References

5. External links

The Hollywood Bowl Group is a company that runs the AMF, Hollywood Bowl and Bowlplex branded multi lane ten-pin bowling centres in the UK. The company is based in Hemel Hempstead.

AMF Bowling

The United States company AMF Bowling opened its first centre in the United Kingdom in Stamford Hill, North London on 20 January 1960. Between 1967 and 1970, AMF Bowling UK acquired its first 15 centres. After Goldman Sachs purchased AMF Bowling in 1996, the number of centres owned and operated by AMF Bowling in the UK rose in 1997 from 15 to 37. The company then embarked on a program to refurbish the acquired centres.^[2]

The AMF Bowling centres were found at Ashford, Gravesend, Stamford Hill and other locations.

In 2004 certain shareholders of the British leisure conglomerate, Bourne Leisure, acquired the AMF-branded centres in the UK. AMF Bowling UK then embarked on another programme of refurbishment, and since 2007 has opened five new centres in the UK.^[2]

The Original Bowling Company Ltd

In August 2010 AMF Bowling UK acquired the Hollywood Bowl business from Mitchells & Butlers PLC to become The Original Bowling Company Ltd (TOBC), UK’s largest bowling centre operator. TOBC then sold its "traditional" business to 1st Bowl, now known as MFA Bowl.^[3]

In September 2014, Electra Private Equity acquired TOBC for £91 million.^[4]

In April 2015, TOBC announced the purchase of rival Bowlplex, subject to approval by the Competition and Markets Authority. ^[5] Approval was granted later that year.^[6]

Bowlplex Ltd

Bowlplex Ltd was a bowling and leisure corporation that owned and operated 18 "total entertainment centres" across England, Wales and Scotland.

Bowlplex was formed in 1976 to acquire the Branksome Bowl, then known as Wessex Bowl, although it was not until 1984 that long-serving Managing Director Tracy Standish became involved with Bowlplex. Over 25 years Bowlplex grew into a national group at 18 locations across the UK offering late-night licensed bars, dance floors, American pool and amusement games in addition to ten-pin bowling.

Final additions to the Bowlplex group are leisure and entertainment centres in Cwmbran, Wales, and Camberley, Surrey. Both centres were operated with the new style of operations, with Brunswick lane machinery, scoring system and Meriq online bookings package. The Stadium sports bar and Grill and Chill also had the addition of a new food and beverage operating system.

Bowlplex Centres were found at Basingstoke, Birmingham, Blackburn, Braehead, Brighton, Bristol, Camberley, Castleford, Cwmbran, Dudley, Dunfermline, Nantgarw, Oxford, Poole Branksome, Tower Park, Portsmouth: Gunwharf Quays, and Tunbridge Wells .

In a commercial deal with Sega Amusements Europe, Bowlplex have had new arcade and gaming machines installed at all 18 centres.

The Bowlplex unit at Yeovil was bought by 1st Bowl in 2012 and is now trading as MFA Bowl.

In late 2015 10 Bowlplex units were acquired by The Original Bowling Company with most of the locations being rebranded under the "Hollywood" name. However to remedy with competition concerns, six Bowlplex sites were sold to Tenpin Limited in Bristol, Camberley, Castleford, Dudley, Glasgow and Nantgarw.^[6]

References

External links

• Group website: https://www.hollywoodbowlgroup.com
• Hollywood Bowl Centres: https://www.hollywoodbowl.co.uk
• AMF Centres: https://www.amf-bowling.co.uk

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