Boutique bowling operation Lane7 has reported a 28% boost in sales over its Christmas 2025 trading period.
The increase has been driven, in part, by an impressive 14% leap in like-for-like corporate bookings. It rounds off a two-year period where Lane7 is reporting a doubling of its revenues.It says the leap has shown a marked increase because those looking for a great night out, especially over the festive season, remain committed to prioritising quality social experiences that bring friends, family and work colleagues together.
Managing director, Gavin Hughes said: “While we’re thrilled with the continued growing appetite for the unique Lane7 experience, the outcomes don’t come as a huge surprise. We’ve remained steadfastly disciplined in our growth, in our operational delivery and remained fully committed to consistently evolving and differentiating our guest experience.
“The results of that have borne fruit not only in the crucial end-of-year trading period, but across the last 12 months.”
It’s been a transformative 2025 for the group, with the businesses 30% growth supported by seven new openings, taking 148k sqft in 2025 and on target for a further 142k sqft in 2026. The business also accelerated its pan-European expansion plans with two new sites in Dublin in addition to Berlin, all of which continue to trade ahead of expectations, reinforcing the strength and portability of the Lane7 brand beyond the UK.
Lane7 has become synonymous in the industry with consistent innovation and it has recently formed new, exclusive partnerships with industry-leading brands including Social Rivals, Moment Factory and BitPong, ensuring the guest experience remains fresh, distinctive and difficult to replicate as the sector matures.
At the same time, the group has also announced its first ever chairman, with the installation of seasoned boardroom operator, David Holligon into the hot seat. Holligon has held a number of exec, non-exec, strategic and advisory c-suite consultancy roles with a string of organisations spanning retail, supply chain, facilities management and manufacturing, having originally qualified as a chartered accountant with Price Waterhouse in the mid-90’s.
Hughes added: “David brings such an impressive track record with him, having served on multiple boards across numerous sectors during his career. His breadth of experience and depth of knowledge will add real strength to our leadership team. I know he’ll help our board sharpen our direction and purpose as we continue to grow the group’s brands over the coming years.
“Having recently aligned our representative companies into one group, and as the business continues its growth, we continue to strengthen our leadership team. We’re really excited to have David on board as we shape the next stage of our journey.”
David said: “It’s hard not to be impressed with what the entire team at Lane7 has achieved in the last decade. They’ve re-written the rule books in terms of what people now want from a night out, and I am looking forward to adding fresh rigour to confidently and ambitiously take new, exciting risks with new concepts and continue to grow existing brands into new territories.
“Having seen the plans for the group’s future, I’m so excited to be joining them at this stage. This is a business that’s about to take tremendous new leaps to re-write competitive socialising once more.”
Gavin Hughes concluded: “The competitive socialising sector is entering a period of consolidation after several years of rapid expansion and increasing saturation. This now becomes a clear opportunity to gain market share and pursue selective acquisitions that strengthen the estate and accelerate growth.
“With scale, standards and a clear proposition in place, we’re tremendously well positioned for another strong year in 2026.”
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