Inside Buzz Bingo’s Boutique Strategy: Can Smaller High Street Clubs Shape the Future of Bingo?

Exclusive: BingoDaily visited Buzz Bingo Borehamwood to discover how the UK’s first boutique bingo club is redefining the traditional bingo hall, and why it could become a blueprint for the industry’s future.

For decades, Britain’s bingo clubs have occupied cavernous former cinemas, purpose-built halls and retail park locations. Big spaces, hundreds of seats and familiar layouts have become synonymous with land-based UK bingo.

Buzz Bingo’s Borehamwood club breaks almost every one of those conventions.

When the operator relocated from a much larger venue into an 80-seat unit on Borehamwood High Street in May 2023, it wasn’t simply moving premises—it was testing a completely different vision for the future of retail bingo.

More than three years later, the experiment appears to be paying off.

During an exclusive visit to the club, BingoDaily spoke with Buzz Bingo Regional Manager Sarah Calakovic, staff and regular customers to find out why the operator believes boutique bingo has a place alongside its traditional clubs and why another location could already be on the horizon.

Bringing Bingo Back to the High Street

Borehamwood is actually Buzz Bingo’s third home in the ever-growing Hertfordshire town. It is also the town that I grew up in. (Don’t that against me!)

The company previously operated on the Boulevard retail park before moving to a larger site near what is now the Reel Cinema, which was once ‘the old Tesco’.  While the venue was spacious, it also came with significant overheads and lacked one important advantage: visibility.

“We decided to shrink it and do something a little bit different,” Sarah explained.

The new bingo club occupies a prominent high street position, slap bang in the centre of the high street and adjacent to the busy retail park, where shoppers can see directly inside.

That visibility is no accident.

Early 1960s laws required opaque or covered windows so that gambling premises would not tempt people walking by or encourage crowds to gather together. Changes in Licensing over recent years have led many modern betting shops and gaming centres to move toward open, transparent, and brightly lit frontages, with council permission, of course. Buzz Bingo Borehamwood, by gaining that permission, meant that it could overcome the misconception that bingo halls were full of just old people.

“I think there was a bit of an old-school perception that bingo is only for older people,” Sarah said.

“Actually, you can walk past and see groups of people from 18 to 80 playing together.”

Unlike traditional bingo halls tucked away on retail parks, the Borehamwood club invites curiosity. Large windows allow passers-by to see customers enjoying drinks, chatting and playing bingo, making the venue feel much more like a contemporary leisure destination than a conventional bingo hall.

Why Borehamwood?

Sarah says the decision ultimately came down to finding the right property.

“We found an exceptional site,” she said.

The venue’s footprint closely matched the average attendance at the previous club while providing a modern, open environment that could be adapted to a different style of operation.

Today, the club seats around 80 players while retaining a dedicated gaming machine area, modern bar and outdoor seating thanks to a pavement licence.

Customers can enjoy a drink outside before heading in to play: a small addition that helps integrate the club into the wider high street rather than isolating it from surrounding businesses.

A Smaller Club That’s More Profitable

Perhaps the biggest surprise is commercial rather than cosmetic.

According to Sarah, the boutique club is now outperforming the much larger venue it replaced.

“It’s more profitable than the old site was.”

Lower operating costs have undoubtedly contributed, but Sarah believes increased visibility has also encouraged more people to walk through the doors.

Instead of hiding bingo away, the club places it directly in front of potential customers every day.

That success has naturally prompted questions about expansion.

While stopping short of revealing future locations, Sarah hinted that another boutique venue could already be in development.

“High Street Bingo number two may be coming to Buzz Bingo soon.”

A Complement to Traditional Clubs

Despite the success of Borehamwood, Sarah is keen to stress that boutique clubs are not intended to replace Buzz’s larger estate.

Sarah spoke passionately about investing in their larger venues, and they have a refurbishment plan in place for them too. Buzz announced a £25 million investment plan last year. In Sarah’s own region, Basildon, Medway and Ipswich have already received investment, whilst major refurbishments in Colchester and Bexleyheath will be launched this year.

“There’s definitely a home for both our big bingo clubs on retail parks and high street bingos,” she explained.

“I think there will be a blended approach going forward.”

That blended model could become increasingly important as operators face rising property costs and changing town centres.

Rather than abandoning communities altogether when a large club becomes uneconomical, boutique venues may allow operators to retain a bingo presence in locations where a traditional hall is no longer viable.

Technology Makes Boutique Bingo Possible

Walking around the club, it’s immediately obvious that technology sits at the heart of the concept.

Electronic bingo terminals have replaced traditional shutter boards, allowing players to manage multiple games with ease while reducing clutter around the venue.

Large digital displays dominate the room, with every seat enjoying clear sightlines.

Live presenters now broadcast from Buzz’s dedicated Nottingham studio, hosting games simultaneously across the company’s national estate.

This technology has enabled Buzz to introduce Big Money Live, a monthly £100,000 bingo game streamed into clubs nationwide.

Digital prize wheels have also replaced bulky mechanical equipment, freeing up valuable floor space while creating a more dynamic experience.

“I think technology will continue to evolve,” Sarah said.

“In five years’ time the offer will have evolved further and add some further fun elements utilising technology.”

The venue has even shown major sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup on its screens, allowing customers to enjoy football before or after bingo sessions and broadening the club’s appeal beyond traditional bingo audiences.

Bingo Remains the Hero

Although gaming machines remain an important part of the business, Sarah was clear that Buzz’s identity remains firmly rooted in bingo.

“Our mission is to be the nation’s number one choice for bingo,” she said.

“Bingo will always be our hero.

“Yes, we’ll welcome slots players, but we still want to be famous for people playing bingo.”

That philosophy is reflected throughout the club.

Everything from the layout and technology to the live broadcasting capabilities has been designed to enhance the bingo experience rather than replace it.

Reinvesting in Technology and Bigger Jackpots

Technology has also enabled Buzz to expand its national prize offering.

The operator recently reintroduced the National Bingo Game across its clubs, giving players the chance to win jackpots of up to £250,000.

Sarah described the move as an easy decision.

“The possibility of winning a quarter of a million pounds every single day is life-changing.”

She also pointed to a recent £250,000 winner at Buzz Bingo Dover, demonstrating that even one of the company’s smallest clubs can produce genuinely life-changing wins.

Alongside the National Bingo Game, Big Money Live now offers players an exclusive £100,000 prize each month.

Together, they form part of Buzz’s strategy to strengthen the value of playing bingo in-club.

A Different Atmosphere

Perhaps the biggest difference isn’t the technology. It’s the atmosphere.

Forget the stereotype of silent bingo halls where players are afraid to whisper.

At Borehamwood, background music plays throughout the day, groups chat freely during sessions, and celebrations are encouraged.

“We call it noisy bingo,” Sarah said.

“There isn’t really the shush factor.”

While that required some adjustment for long-standing players, Sarah believes the relaxed environment has made the club more welcoming for newcomers.

What the Customers Think

To find out whether the concept had genuinely worked, BingoDaily spoke to regular customers Sandra and Pam, who have followed Buzz through all three Borehamwood locations. This despite living outside of Borehamwood, and both having other bingo clubs closer to home.

Both admitted the smaller venue initially came as a surprise.

But neither would choose to return to a larger hall.

“We’re like one big family,” they said.

“I can’t fault the staff.”

They believe the boutique format has actually strengthened the club’s sense of community.

Rather than being spread across hundreds of seats, customers naturally sit closer together, conversations happen more easily, and friendships develop faster.

The staff know regulars by name and often have their bingo books ready before they’ve even reached the counter.

“It’s much more personal,” one customer explained.

Not Without Compromise

The boutique concept isn’t perfect.

Space restrictions mean the kitchen cannot accommodate deep-fat fryers, resulting in a lighter menu focused on snacks, hot dogs and other quick meals rather than the traditional bingo favourites found in larger clubs.

Some customers also suggested additional soundproofing between the gaming machine area and the bingo floor would improve the experience by reducing background noise.

Even so, neither criticism appeared significant enough to outweigh the positives.

Part of a Wider Investment Strategy

The Borehamwood experiment forms part of a much broader transformation taking place across Buzz Bingo.

Over recent years, the operator has invested heavily in modernising its estate through refurbishments, upgraded gaming technology, improved food and drink offerings, digital bingo systems and enhanced entertainment.

Rather than simply refreshing existing clubs, Buzz has focused on repositioning bingo as a modern social experience capable of appealing to both long-standing customers and younger adults discovering the game for the first time.

The boutique model reflects that strategy perfectly.

Instead of relying on ever-larger venues, it prioritises visibility, accessibility, flexibility and customer experience.

It also aligns with wider changes across the leisure industry, where smaller, experience-led venues are increasingly replacing large destination sites.

Could Boutique Bingo Shape the Industry?

Borehamwood may only be one club, but its influence could extend much further.

If Buzz proceeds with additional boutique locations, the concept could provide a viable blueprint for maintaining bingo provision in towns where operating large clubs is no longer commercially sustainable.

That could prove particularly significant at a time when rising property costs continue to reshape Britain’s high streets.

After spending time inside the club, it’s difficult not to conclude that Buzz has achieved what it set out to do.

The venue feels very modern without abandoning bingo’s traditions. The bright and airy club also gives a big old nod to Borehamwood and its amazing film history with pictures from ‘Britain’s Hollywood’ adorning the walls.

Buzz Bingo Borehamwood embraces technology without losing the personal service that has always defined the very best bingo clubs.

Most importantly, it demonstrates that bingo doesn’t need hundreds of seats to create a thriving community.

Sometimes, a smaller space can bring people even closer together.

As Buzz continues to invest in technology, larger jackpots and new ways of playing, Borehamwood may ultimately be remembered as the club that showed what the next generation of high street bingo could look like.

And let’s be honest, this could well be the win-win we are all looking for. Bingo finds a way to reach new customers, and deteriorating high streets could see something other than a vape shop, Turkish barber, and American candy store fill its empty locations.

 

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