MAF Leisure creates Playnation brand

Ski Dubai operator Majid Al Futtaim Leisure yesterday launched a bid to become the top player in the increasingly competitive indoor entertainment sector.

The company, a subsidiary of the Majid Al Futtaim Group, unveiled Playnation, an umbrella brand offering leisure and education experiences to families.

The destination precinct will contain a range of concepts, including the indoor amusement park Magic Planet and new-to-market products such as the indoor skydiving centre iFLY Dubai, the high-tech sports training attraction Soccer Circus, the Cite des Enfants edutainment experience and the Yalla Bowling arcade.

"In super-regional and regional markets where you have a variety of offers and components constituting a leisure offering, they need to be wrapped in some sort of destination brand," Craig Hart, Vice-President of MAF Leisure, told Emirates Business.

"With Playnation we've lined up something for everyone. Our customers, children and adults will be wowed by the sheer line-up of indoor activities," he said.

Hart declined to say how much had been invested in the development of the brand.

The first Playnation will open at MAF's Dh3 billion Mirdif City Centre next March.

Playnation will occupy 12,500 square metres of the 196,000sqm mall.

By the end of next year, MAF Leisure will be operating amusement concepts over an area of 100,000sqm, including Ski Dubai, various Magic Planet units, the Wahoo water park in Bahrain, which opened last month.

Aqua Play, a water-based interactive centre for children, is also set to be rolled out at Mirdif City Centre.

In the medium term the company hopes to launch the Playnation concept at its developments in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Levant, said Hart.

The company's strategic goal is to expand in the region and into India. Abu Dhabi in particular is a key market for the firm.

And MAF Leisure is considering restructuring its leisure offerings at existing locations.

"Wherever the scale of our offering is significant it will be rebranded as Playnation. It is important to integrate food and beverage and specialty retail into leisure offerings."

Keep up with the latest business news from the region with the Emirates Business 24|7 daily newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, please click here.