Dubai: Landmark Leisure, a division of retail and hospitality conglomerate, Landmark Group, is introducing a new entertainment brand at Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi, which is expected to open in November, Silvio Liedtke, COO of Landmark Leisure, told Gulf News in an interview on Tuesday.
Liedtke estimates that the attractions and leisure market in the UAE is valued at Dh1.2 billion.
Landmark Leisure, which has 50 locations in the Middle East and India, aims to double the number of locations over the next three to four years with an investment of more than Dh400 million, Liedtke said.
He, however, did not comment on revenue for the previous year, except to say that he expects a revenue growth of 40 per cent this year over 2013. The UAE is the company’s biggest market, accounting for 65 per cent of it revenue last year.
The company currently has two family entertainment centre (FEC) brands, including Fun City and Fun Ville. Established in 1999, Fun City is present in community malls in the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and India. Fun Ville, launched last year, is currently present in the UAE and Qatar.
Among the attractions at Yas Mall’s Fun Works will be one that incorporates augmented reality.
“We have used augmented reality to enable children to create their own image in a design they choose,” Liedtke said.
Also, children can have their images projected onto a kaleidoscope.
Interactive play areas
Two more entertainment concepts are being developed by the company, one of which will offer children interactive play areas, such as a play kitchen, and is expected to have outlets in Dubai and Al Ain later this year.
Meanwhile, Landmark Leisure plans to take Fun City and Fun Ville to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in the next 12 months. It also aims to expand the brands to Africa through franchise agreements, with the first location expected to be in Benghazi, Libya.
The company’s competitors include Majid Al Futtaim and Al Hokair Group.
