£3m futuristic arcade plans for former Liverpool brewery site will create 100 jobs

Mikhail Hotel & Leisure Group (MHALG) has revealed plans to open Europe’s largest retro and futuristic arcade in Liverpool.

The group, led by chairman Andrew Mikhail, is the company and major force behind the current transformation of the Cains Brewery Village.

ArCains arcade will house all old original games and virtual reality within a wholly dedicated floor as part of the ongoing redevelopment of the site in the Baltic Triangle.

Mr Mikhail said: “Our planned £3m investment in the state-of-the-art ArCains is part of our wider £7m plans for the strategic regeneration of Cains.

Situated in the vicinity of Liverpool’s dynamic tech world, we believe that ArCains enhances the sector offer with more than 100 jobs being created on the back of our plans.

“Not only will the stunning arcade development offer the biggest selection of arcade games anywhere in Europe, our partners, alongside many stakeholders in the area, believe ArCains will be a significant addition to the Baltic creative offering that already exists.

“As one local commentator put it when they heard about our plans, we’re literally ‘transforming an old building lying disused in mounds of dust into one of the area, and Liverpool’s, biggest leisure attractions’.

“ArCains’ features will also offer the ultimate all-day family experience with expansive pinball areas, retro arcades with a huge selection of games from the 1970’s, right through to today’s 2019 best of collection, a complete floor dedicated to VR, along with pool tables, basketball, shuffle tables and much more.

“Plus, we believe this is the first experience of its kind in the industry enabling between 10 and 100 people to simultaneously participate as one booking.”

MHALG acquired the license for the Cains brand last Summer, opening one of its Punch Tarmey’s pubs on-site.

Mr Mikhail said: “After dozens of glowing UK-wide sector reviews of Punch Tarmey’s in Liverpool, we’re looking to take our plans for ArCains alongside great old-style and futuristic food offerings to the next level.

“We believe there’s every opportunity to receive equal, if not greater, recognition for our latest project.”

MHALG has invested nearly £2m so far into the site, with more than £1.7m spent on Punch Tarmey’s alone and Mr Mikhail acknowledges that the future of leisure is very much about the experience and constantly upping both theirs and the industry’s game.

“From feedback following what we created with Punch Tarmey’s in Liverpool, we’ve inspired many UK and international operators to have a rethink about where the leisure market is heading.

“ArCains will be an extension of that and the perfect complement, adding potentially up to 100 further employees by the end of the year in addition to the 45 jobs already created by the Punch Tarmey’s brand.

“It’s a win-win for Liverpool, a city in which I was born.

“I share the passion and vision that our city leaders and decision makers have in continuing to drive sustainable investment into nascent areas of Liverpool that brings jobs and prosperity to the local community and the multiplier effects of mass tourism alongside.”