Northern Ireland leisure firm secures seven-figure funding package to expand its Air-tastic Entertainment Centres, creating 20 jobs

Northern Ireland’s largest leisure operator has secured a seven-figure funding package from HSBC UK to expand its Air-tastic Entertainment Centres.

Air-tastic currently operates six sites across Northern Ireland and will use the funding to transform the upstairs of its site in Lisburn to provide a greater offering of a ctivities. This will include the country’s first ever ‘Cube Challenge’ - a real-life gaming experience requiring players to complete a series of physical and mental challenges to gather as many points as they can within a set amount of time.

With support from HSBC UK, the expansion will add an extra 22,000 sq. ft. to the site taking the total space to 45,000 sq. ft. for the brand-new cube challenges and laser tag activities. The new offerings will add to an already existing bowling alley, amusement arcade and pizza restaurant. The full site is planned to open in October 2023.

The funding will also allow the business to hire 20 members of staff, taking the total number to 60. This will include a variety of customer-facing roles including operational and service staff.

Mark Simpson, co- director of Air-tastic, said: “The support we have received from HSBC UK has been great and we are counting down the days until we can open our doors and welcome our loyal customers”.

Jennifer Hood, relationship director at HSBC UK, added: “Air-tastic is a wonderful business that puts family fun at the heart of everything it does. We’re pleased to support the business with this investment, and we look forward to seeing the positive outcomes of these developments as the business grows.”

Since launching in 2016 in Bangor, Air-tastic has continued to grow from solely trampoline parks to now offering a wider range of facilities such as Inflatables, 10 pin Bowling, Soft Play, Mini Golf, Cube Challenges, Lazer Tag, cafes, and arcade games. The business’s other five centres are in Bangor, Belfast (Newtownabbey), Craigavon, Cork and Kildare (Celbridge).