Brothers in law, Keith Rupp and Jason Seale took the brave step to purchase Sharkys Weymouth in 2007, and in March 2015, the team expanded the business with the acquisition of the Fun Factory Weymouth located on Albany Road, Granby Industrial Estate.
In 2007 Sharkys was the only indoor soft play facility in the Weymouth area where the previous owners had steadily grown and developed the business over a ten year period. When Keith and Jason heard from a family friend that Sharkys was up for sale they leapt at the opportunity to take the brave step of setting up their own family business. Starting a new business was a step into the unknown for the new owners as Jason had always had a career in the motor industry in car sales and Keith was a fully trained chef so the pair sought financial support and business advice from Lloyds Bank. One of the first steps for the new owners was to disband the Deep Sea Adventure museum on the top two floors returning all the contents back to Diving charities, institutions and organisations, this released two floors for brand new attractions such as a larger Lazer Zone and Slot car racing. The business went from strength to strength in the first three years increasing customer numbers and growing turnover by developing the soft play area, enhancing the café and offering children’s parties.
In 2010 the Granby Fun Factory opened, a second provider of indoor soft play facilities in Weymouth and just after its fifth anniversary the Fun Factory was purchased by Sharkys Weymouth. Today the two play centres provide employment for over 30 members of staff. Jason Seale, Manager and Co-owner of Sharkys Weymouth and the Fun Factory said “We have had a very busy summer and taking the leap from one play centre to running two was a big change for us after working in one centre for 8 years. Now Keith and I can really explore the opportunities that are available to us by having two play facilities, one in the centre of town on the beautiful harbour side in Weymouth across four floors and the other on the outskirts of Weymouth which some people prefer due to ease of parking and the location being close to where they live”. Mr Seale went on to say “By having DJ Property as landlords of both commercial premises, it really helps as we can talk through development plans for the business with Mickey Jones and explore some of the commercial property options that are available to us and ideas on how to grow indoor soft play business model”.
Mickey Jones, Chief Executive of DJ Property, said “Demand for high quality business space is changing. Many traditional town centre based businesses are now looking to relocate to where their customers are situated. The Granby Industrial Estate and Link Park offer a huge variety of business space options and I am very pleased to welcome Sharkys Weymouth to the Granby where they have recently taken over the Fun Factory which has been open since 2010.” Mr Jones went on to say “It is exciting to see one of our customers operating the two leading children’s play centres in the Weymouth area. By having both, they are going to be able to offer some very innovative offers and improve their profitability through economies of scale. The future looks bright for Keith and Jason”.
Business continues to be brisk with Christmas approaching and the continuous demand for children’s birthday parties. Sharkys will be strengthening its on line offer and looking at ways to develop the merchandise side of the business as well as developing the Cafes in both locations. The play centres are used by many businesses, nurseries, supermarkets and organisations as a great place to reward staff by hosting Christmas parties for their employee’s children as a thank you for their hard work throughout the year.
In April 2014, Sharkys Weymouth also took over the refreshment kiosk by the Harbour steps where the small rowing boat ferry transports passengers across the harbour and also introduced seafood into Sharkys Weymouth which has proved very popular with passing visitors strolling along the harbour. This family duo are certainly making significant steps in developing their business model.
If you would like to know more about Sharkys Weymouth please visit www.sharkysweymouth.co.uk or The Fun Factory Weymouth at www.funfactoryweymouth.co.uk
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