(Alliance News) - Ten Entertainment Group PLC on Friday said that it will be reopening 35 of its 39 centres throughout England on August 15 following an announcement on Thursday by the UK government.
The UK government on Thursday eased restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
These included the reopening of bowling alleys, skating rinks, casinos and indoor play centres. There are however strict guidelines which these venues must meet before opening, such as all staff offering close contact services must wear a face mask.
The UK operator of ten pin bowling centres assured that relevant Covid-19 protocols will be followed and there will be "ample space" for social distancing.
The company said three centres are already open in Wales.
"We are confident that our revised sanitisation and social distancing protocols are over and above that required by government guidelines," Ten Entertainment said.
Some of the measures will include the introduction of a web-based ordering platform which will reduce the number of interactions needed when ordering food and drink.
Two weeks ago, the Office for National Statistics had expressed concerns over a slight increase in the number of people in England testing positive for the virus.
This led to the postponement of the easing of measures by two weeks, on July 31, as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the country "cannot be complacent" amid the small spike in cases.
The situation now appears to have levelled off, with the government seeing it fit to open higher-risk sectors.
England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned that it might not be possible to ease lockdown further.
Ten Entertainment's 39 venues in England represent 91% of the company's annual revenue.
Ten Entertainment entered the year following a strong performance in 2019 with just over GBP30 million in liquidity at the beginning of the pandemic.
Following the subsequent lockdown, the company reduced its monthly cash consumption to GBP1.4 million, as reported on May 13. The company did however, withdraw its profit guidance for 2020.
Interim Executive Chair Nick Basing said: "We are fully prepared and looking forward to bringing people and families together and delivering entertainment in a very safe way."
Ten Entertainment shares were up 3.1% at 128.37 pence each on Friday morning in London.
By Greg Roxburgh; gregroxburgh@alliancenews.com
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