Barbells out, bowling balls in at Nottingham’s pod

Competitive socialising group Roxy Leisure is expanding into Nottingham’s Lace Market with its bowling concept Roxy Lanes. The operator is already present in the city with its Roxy Ball Room venue at the Cornerhouse on Burton Street. Its new space will see it occupy 15,564 sq ft at the Pod, next to the Lace Market tram spot. The site had been operated by independent gym, Fitpod, until April 2022 when it was put for sale by Innes England. Sam Hall, associate director at Innes England, said: “This will be a great injection of new blood into the Lace Market’s already vibrant and thriving night life. We were originally engaged with the Pod’s landlord to provide advice across all the commercial elements, including the retail units and the offices across the upper floors. The gym which previously occupied the lower ground floor advised they would be vacating, leaving us to find a new occupier.” He added: “We were able to marry up the space with Roxy Lanes as we knew they were looking for a new venue for its unique leisure offering that required a large and open plan layout, which is uncommon in the city centre. This landmark deal with Roxy is a good example of a shift in consumer trends from traditional shopping to more experience-focused outings.”