“We’ve persistently opened 10 to 12 venues yearly, and we plan to proceed at that tempo,” Abbas Jabalpurwala, CEO of Timezone India, advised Mint in an interview. “We must always shut this calendar yr at 92 and cross the 100-venue mark subsequent yr. What provides us confidence is that this enlargement is basically funded by means of inner accruals—we’ve remained worthwhile all through.”
Timezone has been in India for 14 years and, by its personal estimates, has invested near ₹800 crore within the nation to this point. The corporate usually spends ₹8-12 crore per centre, relying on the format. Whereas Timezone doesn’t disclose market-specific revenues, India is its second-largest market after Australia, when it comes to each footfalls and income.
India has emerged as one in every of TEEG’s most necessary progress markets. The group, which additionally operates the Play ‘N’ Study model throughout the Asia-Pacific area, sees rising demand for high-quality social leisure amongst Indian customers.
“The Indian shopper is extremely conscious, aspirational, and looking forward to world-class social leisure experiences,” stated Caroline Leong, group chief buyer officer at TEEG, stated in the identical interview. “That is not a metro-only market. Households, mates—even grandparents—are coming in collectively.”
TEEG is collectively owned by the LAI Group, led by the Steinberg household, and Quadrant Non-public Fairness, which acquired a 50% stake within the Timezone enterprise in 2017 to create the present construction. The group operates greater than 300 centres throughout Asia-Pacific underneath manufacturers reminiscent of Timezone, Zone Bowling, Kingpin and Play ’N’ Study. It has additionally attracted institutional debt funding, with Australian agency QIC buying a portion of its A$625 million debt facility.
Past the metros
Having constructed its early presence in top-tier malls throughout Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi, Timezone is now increasing into smaller cities reminiscent of Anand, Rourkela, Siliguri, and Varanasi.
“We’ve recognized 80 cities we wish to be in. At the moment, we’re current in simply 30. So, even when we solely open one retailer per metropolis, we now have a stable five-year runway,” stated Jabalpurwala.
The corporate’s newer places in tier 2 and three cities are assembly—and even exceeding—expectations when it comes to income. “Tier 2 and tier 3 prospects are keen to pay for high quality—they know what’s accessible in Mumbai or Delhi due to social media. So long as you don’t minimize corners on the expertise, they reply,” he stated.
Whereas the corporate doesn’t share income figures, Jabalpurwala stated the price of constructing a centre usually ranges between ₹9,000 and ₹12,000 per sq. ft., with a focused breakeven window of three years. “ROI-wise, we purpose for a three-year payback window, although most places break even on money stream throughout the first month,” he famous.
Larger, higher centres
Timezone just lately relaunched its first-ever location at Inorbit Mall in Mumbai’s Malad as a flagship venue, unfold over 23,000 sq. ft. and full of group-friendly options—bowling alleys, a laser tag area for 18 gamers, bumper vehicles, cricket mini-games, and a full-service café.
Whereas common retailer sizes vary from 9,000 to fifteen,000 sq. ft., the model is leaning into bigger codecs for key places. This displays a shift in shopper preferences towards immersive group experiences, notably within the wake of the pandemic.
“Earlier, folks got here alone or in pairs. Now it’s six, eight, even 10 folks coming collectively. Video games are designed for group play—bumper vehicles, laser tag, VR (digital actuality) experiences,” stated Leong.
Dwell occasions have grown in consequence. On common, prospects now spend 60 to 80 minutes per go to, with households flocking in throughout weekends and holidays. Weekday site visitors, too, has picked up, pushed by school college students and company teams, Leong added.
Proudly owning the expertise
Not like some opponents, Timezone India is absolutely company-owned and operated, with no franchisees. “Franchisees could not at all times uphold the model spec or make investments again in refreshing content material, which is non-negotiable for us,” stated Jabalpurwala. Most leases are long-term—9 to 12 years—and a number of other have already been renewed a number of occasions.
The model usually accounts for 3-5% of a mall’s month-to-month footfall, and common spending per household ranges from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 on weekends. Per-customer spending has additionally been rising steadily at 8–10% year-on-year, based on Jabalpurwala.
What’s subsequent?
TEEG is exploring the opportunity of introducing Kingpin, its upscale bowling-bar format, to India. “India is evolving quick, and we see area for all our codecs finally,” Leong stated, although she didn’t present a timeline.
To deepen buyer engagement, Timezone is leaning on knowledge and loyalty instruments. Its Powercard and cellular app observe detailed consumer behaviour and allow hyper-personalized affords. “We now have greater than 2 million contactable customers in India alone, and over 8 million globally. We all know what they play, once they come, and what they wish to eat,” stated Leong.
Whereas competitors is intensifying from manufacturers like Snow World, SMAAASH, and newer trampoline park chains, Timezone maintains a transparent lead within the organized indoor FEC section. It at the moment operates 84 centres in India, in contrast with fewer than 20 for SMAAASH and simply two for Snow World. In keeping with the corporate, it holds over 60% of the market share by venue rely.
