Flight Club operator posts 26% YOY sales lift

26-Feb-2024 - Last updated on 26-Feb-2024 at 11:08 GMT

Strong pipeline: Flight Club opened two UK sites in 2023 (pictured is the Glasgow launch)

Red Engine, the operator of the Flight Club and Electric Shuffle brands, has announced sales in 2023 reached £67m – a 26% year-on-year increase.

The group, supported by franchise partners State of Play Hospitality and NightOwl Entertainment, has opened two sites in Scotland and two overseas (one in the US and another in Australia), taking the total Red Engine and partners estate to 25 venues – 15 owned and 10 partner-owned.

Red Engine venues and partner venues sales combined, exceeded £100m for 2023, up 28% year-on-year, with like-for-like sales increasing by 10%, it said in its full year 2023 financial results.

The year ahead will be a busy one claimed Red Engine and its partners as they plan to expand to 33 venues. Red Engine will open Flight Club Oxford and Liverpool, and Electric Shuffle Manchester and New York.

Meanwhile its franchise partners have Flight Club Philadelphia, Washington, Sydney and Melbourne slated to open.

Incredibly rewarding

Red Engine chief financial officer Ross Shepley-Smith said: “As we head towards the 10-year anniversary of the first Flight Club, it’s incredibly rewarding to see the business grow from strength to strength.

“We opened two new Scottish venues in Glasgow and Edinburgh last year and our franchise partners opened a further two sites in Fremantle, Australia, and Denver, United States.

“All our sites hit new sales records in 2023 and our newest Scottish additions to the estate far exceeded our expectations.

“With a pipeline of eight more locations planned for 2024, we look forward to continuing to grow our brands but, more importantly, remaining focused on our mission to make groups of friends everywhere ridiculously happy.”

‘Insta-worthy bar settings’

Red Engine explained State of Play Hospitality is leading the growth of the Flight Club brand in the US while all Electric Shuffle venues in the US are Red Engine-owned. NightOwl Entertainment is the Flight Club franchise partner for expansion across Australia.

Red Engine’s Flight Club Darts and Electric Shuffle, launched in 2015 and 2019 respectively.

Flight Club – which it said was one of the first players in the competitive socialising space – first launched in London’s Shoreditch and added: “The concept has reimagined darts for the 21st century, transforming the traditional two-player game of darts into a range of high-energy, fast-paced, multi-player games.”

Red Engine launched Electric Shuffle which is another adaptation of a classic game. “This time, focusing on shuffleboard. Both are housed within beautifully detailed, Insta-worthy bar settings, delivering an impressive food and drink offering,” Red Engine said.