The review on bowling industry in Russia (19.10.2007)

Nowadays there are at least 551 bowling centers in Russia (we say ‘at least’ meaning that we might be unaware of some more centers). The number of the lanes is already over 4200.
In Moscow there are 70 centers functioning now. Comparing to the last year, the number of the centers is the same, but the situation is a bit different now. So few clubs  have been closed  (Katapulta, Submarina, Shtorm, Kalancha, Planeta Bowling in the Kosmos hotel). But some new modern clubs have been opened including two centers of the Cosmik chain.

As for Saint Petersburg, we talk about 24 centers and 388 lanes. The bowling industry there also is changing there. Some clubs have been lately closed – they are Materik, Sharovaya molniya, B-52, Leon. But the new giant center appeared – means Pulkovo III with its 52 lanes of Brunswick.

In 2006 the third leader in the number of lanes was Ekaterinburg – 120 lanes in 7 bowling centers now. But in 2007 the trird position in the bowling industry went to Kazan’ when the new 24-lanes club of Planeta bowling chain and the 20-lanes club Rodina started to work in this city. So there are 139 lanes in 13 bowling centers in Kazan’.

Among other leaders of this industry there should be mentioned Krasnodar (7 centers, 113 lanes), Novosibirsk (6 centers, 84 lanes), Chelyabinsk (7 centers, 70 lanes), Perm (9 centers, 63 lanes), Samara (6 centers, 95 lanes), Togliatti (11 centers, 70 lanes), Tyumen (8 centers, 48 lanes).

The equipment used in Russian bowling clubs is by large that made by three producers which are Brunswick, QubicaAMF and Zhonglu. The distributors of Chinese Zhonglu are VIA Bowling Products, Zhonglu Bowling and VPS EC. In 2006 a representation of European company Switch Bowling was opened in Moscow.

	The chart shows the distribution of bowling equipment (hereinafter we mention the number of lanes and not that of bowling centers). By the QubicaAMF equipment we imply not only new products of the company but also the AMF equipment which had been delivered to the clubs before AMF company merged with Qubica. The same principle will be followed counting the portion of QubicaAMF later on. By other companies which share comprises 4 per cent of the market we mean Switch Bowling, Yangji Vision, Dacos, Modern Technology, Vollner and others.In compairs to the first part of 2007, the share of Brunswick increased on 1% as well as the Zhounglu’s share (also on 1%). The share of QubicaAMF decreased on 2%.