There could be 50,000 new family entertainment centres in China within the next five years – that’s the bold prediction of Yiwen Chen (pictured), president of Zhongshan Luck Amusements.
Speaking at the China Guangzhou International Game and Amusement Exhibition this week, Chen, whose company was exhibiting a broad range of amusement equipment at the event, said that the number of FECs in China will probably have doubled by 2017. He said he knew of one company planning to open 500 new locations over the next three years alone.
This increase in the number of FECs, he told InterGame, will be in line with the development of regional economies. There are presently more than 3,000 ‘town-cities’ – identified as those expanding rapidly to become fully-fledged cities – and even just one new FEC location each would be a significant increase in the size of the market.
This accelerated urban development is backed by the government, which is understood to have a policy of supporting the progression of towns to cities.
It is not too far a leap to suggest that within five years there could be 50,000 new locations operating amusements in these regional cities spread across the country, Chen said.
Others at the show were less confident, however, arguing that the new Chinese government’s policy towards the amusement business remains unclear. Whether it would support, or indeed tolerate, such an expansion of FECs remains to be seen.
