New Franchisee

Justin Okoli is the latest franchise partner to join the Gravity brand, opening a new site in Luton. At 30,000sqft, the new attraction will feature wall to wall trampolines, ninja run, wipe out, soft-play, party rooms, next-generation light and sound system, plus a café serving Wafflemeister waffles.

Justin completed the deal after 12months of COVID disruptions. “We’ve been working to get this project across the line for some time due to the COVID situation, but I’m really pleased to formally announce the project is finally starting,” he comments.

Justin has spent over 20 years in various commercial roles, including project management, sales, marketing, strategy, and service delivery. This has allowed him to work for several multinational corporations in over 10 countries and makes him an ideal franchise partner for Gravity.

Gravity is an excellent proposition that supported four areas that are very important to me when it came to evaluating a franchise partner,” explains Justin. “A service that would appeal to everyone will contribute to improving the well-being of the local community, has a capacity for growth, and a fantastic commercial proposition that lowered my cost of entry. In this case, Gravity’s strong relationship with landlords has made this commercially viable.

Justin Okoli – Franchisee

When discussing the Gravity onboarding process Justin comments “It’s very intense but also very positive so far. The Gravity team have been very impressive and have held my hand throughout the process.

“This has included managing all the build works to prepare the site for customers, supporting me in meeting my compliance needs, delivering a very intensive training program with more to come, recruitment support – which is massive and genuinely appreciated and connecting me to key vendors. Not to be forgotten, they have helped me prepare for the big opening event with great support from the sales and marketing teams.

“Gravity has a tried and tested process that works. From contract signing through to commercial opening.

“The biggest challenge for me has been our time scales as we have just over six weeks to prepare a 30,000sqft site, recruit, and train, over 30 staff members. We also must meet the compliance requirements to open the venue safely whilst under Covid restrictions. No simple task indeed, but I am confident, with the help of the experienced Gravity head office staff, we can rise to the challenge and get everything done.“

Justin has further growth plans for his future with Gravity. “I really believe in the brand and hope to establish Gravity as the premier family entertainment centre in Luton and the surrounding areas,” he says. “Longer term, I want to expand my portfolio to include other Gravity sites and more product offerings, such as e-karting, darts, golf, bowling, and F&B.”

When asked what Justin would say to someone looking at joining Gravity as a franchise partner, he commented, “Since opening their first venue, Gravity has refined the family entertainment concept and now have a world-class tried and tested model which continues to go from strength to strength. With Gravity’s model, I continue to see further opportunities for growth and investment based on the expanding portfolio of service offerings.

“The team is also excellent. They have been highly supportive and are extremely flexible. Without their support, I would not have been on this journey today. As I continue to go through my journey with Gravity, I am now much more appreciative of their model, which is designed to deliver consistent and repeatable performance – key to delivering my expected ROI.

“In two words, I would sum up my Gravity experience as exciting, and demanding! My journey has been an interesting one particularly with COVID, but even with this immense challenge, Gravity has provided ongoing support in making Luton a reality for us all. I’m very much looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Gravity that will deliver immense value to my local community in Luton.”

Gravity Luton is opening in Q3 2021.

If you would like to learn more about becoming a Gravity franchise partner, get in touch today.