Lane7 will open its latest venue at Trinity Leeds on Tuesday, June 2, marking the boutique bowling and entertainment brand’s first foray into Yorkshire. The 23,000 sq ft destination on Albion Street – taking over the former Wilko shop – is designed as a multi-activity social hub that brings together competitive gaming, design-led interiors and late-night hospitality under one roof.
The centrepiece of the new site is a set of 12 bowling lanes fitted with interactive features that trigger celebratory effects on every strike. Beyond the lanes, visitors will find a deliberately broad line-up of games: darts, pool tables, beer pong, Big Putts golf simulators, an interactive ‘playground’ area, and a collection of retro arcade machines. The mix mirrors Lane7’s established formula of offering “all your best nights in one”, according to Gavin Hughes, the group’s managing director.
To mark the opening, Lane7 is running a “Baller Week” promotion from June 2 to June 8, giving anyone who books online the chance to bowl for free. The brand has a history of collaborating with local chefs to tailor food menus for each venue, and while specific Leeds culinary details have not yet been announced, the approach suggests a bespoke food offer will accompany the games.
“There’s been so much excitement about our arrival since we announced we were coming to Trinity Leeds – it feels like the city has already embraced us,” Hughes said. “Leeds is known for its incredible nightlife and we’re sure the arrival of Lane7 will be a big boost for the city’s leisure scene.”
Expansion northward and beyond
The Leeds opening is part of a broader push across the UK, with the company already having launched a new venue in Edinburgh (its second in the city, at Ocean Terminal in Leith) and planning a further site in Glasgow, which will take over the former Platform event space. The three-city expansion was announced in early 2026, with all three openings originally slated for the first quarter of the year. To support the growth, Lane7 Group restructured its operations, bringing all its brands – Lane7, Level X, ML7, and Gutterball – under a single administrative framework designed to simplify management and improve efficiency.
Steven Foster, centre director at Trinity Leeds, described Lane7 as “an ideal addition” that enhances the shopping centre’s experience-led offer. He pointed to a string of recent and upcoming openings at Trinity, including Schuh, Jerk Junction and the LEGO store, with Footasylum and Freight Island still to arrive. “Our already impressive line-up is going from strength to strength,” he added.
Lane7 was founded in Newcastle in 2013 by Tim Wilks and has since grown to operate more than 20 venues across the UK and Europe. Its financial performance has accelerated sharply: the company reported a 30% jump in turnover for the year ending October 2024, reaching £29.1 million, and secured a larger debt facility with Barclays Bank in June 2025 to fund further expansion. Sales over the Christmas 2025 trading period rose 28%, with like-for-like corporate bookings up 14%, rounding off a two-year stretch in which revenues doubled.
Internationally, Lane7 has opened sites in Berlin and Dublin, both of which Hughes noted are trading to expectations. The group’s long-term ambition is to reach 60 to 70 sites, targeting at least five new openings per year. Hughes has said the competitive socialising sector is entering a period of consolidation, which he sees as an opportunity for Lane7 to capture greater market share. The Leeds venue – the brand’s first in Yorkshire and its newest north of the border – sits on Albion Street in the space formerly occupied by Wilko.
