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Tag: Immotion Group

Immotion Group roll out a further four ImmotionVR Centres at Intu Shopping Centres

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This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange.

Following the success of its existing virtual reality (“VR”) centres, Immotion Group Plc, the UK-based immersive VR ‘Out of Home’ entertainment business, is pleased to announce that it has opened an additional ImmotionVR Centre at intu St Davids, Cardiff, and that it will open a further three ImmotionVR Centres at intu Derby, intu Eldon Square, Newcastle and intu Uxbridge. When the new sites are open, Immotion will own and operate a total of seven outlets, in addition to the sites operated by concession partners.

Working in partnership with intu, which owns and manages many of the UK’s best and most popular shopping centres, Immotion Group is proud to continue the roll out of its successful ImmotionVR brand. Customers will be able to enjoy a broad range of experiences including Delta Zero which was launched in August 2018. Further experiences are due to launch later this year, including seasonal themed experiences for both Halloween and Christmas. They will be distributed to all outlets via the Group’s proprietary Content Management System. 

Most of the outlets will be centre aisle attractions although Cardiff St David’s has opened as a shop and will feature, alongside the VR cinema pods and guns, the latest Immotion racing car simulators. Following its initial success, the Group’s existing outlet in the Manchester Arndale will be relocated to a more prominent site within the premises. 

Martin Higginson, CEO of Immotion Group, said: “We are incredibly excited to be working with intu to expand our portfolio of ImmotionVR outlets across its impressive portfolio of some of the UK’s most popular shopping locations. Riding on the success of our existing VR centres, this roll out will positively impact our revenues. We look forward to bringing more high quality VR experience centres to more consumers across the UK, many of whom are trying VR for the first time, in the coming months.”

Roger Binks, Customer Experience Director at intu, said: “Virtual reality has such exciting potential within our portfolio of the some of the UK’s most popular shopping destinations where it could one day become as commonplace as stopping for a coffee with friends. intu centres are focused on creating these kinds of compelling experiences for our customers to enjoy and we’re excited to provide yet another new brand with a fantastic opportunity to flourish across the UK.”

For more information contact scsb@shardcapital.com

This information was originally provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

One month on – Investors motion towards Immotion

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There was much hype in the lead up to the much-anticipated IPO of Immotion Group, and now post their July 12 listing, there is still a buzz with their positive performance one month on. An oversubscribed placing prior to IPO gave promise to the company and reiterated the demand from the retail investor market for access to early stage companies in the flourishing tech sector.

 

The VR and AR market in recent years has seen exponential growth in gaming and retail space, and in more recent times, with training and education. However, it’s Immotion’s cutting edge fully immersive experiences that are redefining the classic gaming arcades and bringing people back out of their home, driving footfall to shopping centres and giving life back to family entertainment centres.

Whilst content is powering the global VR market, Immotion’s unique offering will be an integral part to the company’s success. With an experienced management team in place, it is evident that Immotion’s offering of a full-service business model ticks every box with manufacturing, content development and performance analysis all managed from one central source.

In addition, the four key channels to market allow multiple avenues for opportunity with sales, partnership, turnkey and commercial entertainment solutions available.

At the time of their IPO, Immotion announced a market cap of £23mil, however since their 12 July listing, the share price has skyrocketed by ~40% and now sits at 14.5p (as of 7 August 2018), with an estimated market cap of £28.2mil.

Within the UK, the virtual reality market is expected to grow at a faster rate than any other entertainment and media industry in EMEA, with PWC forecasting a value of £801mil by 2021. Ownership of dedicated VR headsets alone are set to hit 3 million at the same time, with an additional 12 million smartphone devices being utilised for VR experiences.

The future is bright for the Manchester based company, last month announcing a second instalment of their state of the art experience pods at Merlin Entertainments’ owned Legoland Discovery Centre in Manchester. The second such instalment after their initial debut at Legoland in Boston in early June.

Immotion have created The Great Lego Race, an experience that engages all the senses; combining sight, sound and motion. The virtual escape takes racers on an adventure across the Rocky Mountains, rolling rivers and hot lava, leading them to new discoveries.

From diving underwater, taking a mission in to space, riding a ghost train or exploring a dragon filled fantasy island, the immersive experiences offered by Immotion provide an experience for anyone at any age. With over 40 years’ experience in the team behind Immotion, the content is being continuously developed and utilising home-grown talent, driving innovation and technology within the UK.

Post IPO, Rob Wiegold from Shard Capital Stockbrokers commented, “The demand we saw in the IPO was significant and this to us highlights the appetite from both institutional and retail investors to get exposure to this fast moving sector. We are starting see the relationship between Immotion and Merlin develop and we would hope there are more deals like this on the horizon.”

For more information on Immotion Group, please contact Shard Capital Stockbrokers on 0207 186 9950 / scsb@shardcapital.com

 

Sources:

https://www.pwc.co.uk/entertainment-media/assets/assets-2018/PwC-Outlook-Perspectives.pdf

 

Important Investment Information: The views above are published solely for information purposes and are not to be construed as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any securities, or related financial instruments. It does not constitute advice or a personal recommendation as defined by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) or take into account the particular investment objectives, financial situations or needs of individual investors. These views are based on public information and sources considered reliable. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Yields are variable and not guaranteed. Investments can fall as well as rise, therefore you could get back less than you invest. If you are unsure about the appropriateness of an investment for your circumstances please seek independent financial advice. Investors should form their own view on any proposed investment. This publication has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and is considered a marketing communication. Figures correct as at 7 August 2018 unless otherwise stated. This publication is issued by Shard Capital Partners LLP, 20 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 3BY United Kingdom who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

One week on – Investors motion towards Immotion

Posted on by shardadmin

There was much hype in the lead up to the much-anticipated IPO of Immotion Group, and now post their July 12 listing, there is still a buzz with their positive performance one week on. An oversubscribed placing prior to IPO gave promise to the company and reiterated the demand from the retail investor market for access to early stage companies in the flourishing tech sector.

The VR and AR market in recent years has seen exponential growth in gaming and retail space, and in more recent times, with training and education. However, it’s Immotion’s cutting edge fully immersive experiences that are redefining the classic gaming arcades and bringing people back out of their home, driving footfall to shopping centres and giving life back to family entertainment centres.

Whilst content is powering the global VR market, Immotion’s unique offering will be an integral part to the company’s success. With an experienced management team in place, it is evident that Immotion’s offering of a full-service business model ticks every box with manufacturing, content development and performance analysis all managed from one central source.

In addition, the four key channels to market allow multiple avenues for opportunity with sales, partnership, turnkey and commercial entertainment solutions available.

At the time of their IPO, Immotion announced a market cap of £23mil, however since their 12 July listing, the share price has skyrocketed by ~40% and now sits at 14p (as of 27 July 2018).

Within the UK, the virtual reality market is expected to grow at a faster rate than any other entertainment and media industry in EMEA, with PWC forecasting a value of £801mil by 2021. Ownership of dedicated VR headsets alone are set to hit 3 million at the same time, with an additional 12 million smartphone devices being utilised for VR experiences.

The future is bright for the Manchester based company, this week announcing a second instalment of their state of the art experience pods at Merlin Entertainments’ owned Legoland Discovery Centre in Manchester. The second such instalment after their initial debut at Legoland in Boston in early June.

Immotion have created The Great Lego Race, an experience that engages all the senses; combining sight, sound and motion. The virtual escape takes racers on an adventure across the Rocky Mountains, rolling rivers and hot lava, leading them to new discoveries.

From diving underwater, taking a mission in to space, riding a ghost train or exploring a dragon filled fantasy island, the immersive experiences offered by Immotion provide an experience for anyone at any age. With over 40 years’ experience in the team behind Immotion, the content is being continuously developed and utilising home-grown talent, driving innovation and technology within the UK.

Post IPO, Rob Wiegold from Shard Capital Stockbrokers commented, “The demand we saw in the IPO was significant and this to us highlights the appetite from both institutional and retail investors to get exposure to this fast moving sector. We are starting see the relationship between Immotion and Merlin develop and we would hope there are more deals like this on the horizon.”

For more information on Immotion Group, please contact Shard Capital Stockbrokers on 0207 186 9950 / scsb@shardcapital.com

 

Sources:

https://www.pwc.co.uk/entertainment-media/assets/assets-2018/PwC-Outlook-Perspectives.pdf

 

Important Investment Information: The views above are published solely for information purposes and are not to be construed as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any securities, or related financial instruments. It does not constitute advice or a personal recommendation as defined by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) or take into account the particular investment objectives, financial situations or needs of individual investors. These views are based on public information and sources considered reliable. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Yields are variable and not guaranteed. Investments can fall as well as rise, therefore you could get back less than you invest. If you are unsure about the appropriateness of an investment for your circumstances please seek independent financial advice. Investors should form their own view on any proposed investment. This publication has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and is considered a marketing communication. Figures correct as at 27 July 2018 unless otherwise stated. This publication is issued by Shard Capital Partners LLP, 20 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 3BY United Kingdom who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Immotion Group PLC – Partnership with LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester

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Immotion Group Plc (“Immotion Group” or the “Group”), the UK-based immersive virtual reality (“VR”) ‘Out of Home’ entertainment business, is pleased to announce that it has partnered with Merlin Entertainments’ owned LEGOLAND®  Discovery Centre Manchester.

Immotion has provided the multi-sensory VR experience pod and the content for The Great Lego Race®. The attraction is the second of its kind in the world, with Immotion first installing the experience at LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Boston, USA.

The exclusive 360-degree attraction, designed for guests six-years-old and above, engages all the senses, combining sight, sound and motion for the ultimate escape. Racers will enter the virtual world for two and half minutes, venturing across Rocky Mountains, rolling rivers and hot lava, with each experience leading to exciting new discoveries.

Martin Higginson, Executive Chairman of Immotion, said: “LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre in Manchester is part of a massively popular worldwide brand, and we are excited about delivering this specially created VR experience in the UK, after successfully launching it with them in the US. 

“It demonstrates the kind of high-quality bespoke VR experiences we can develop on behalf of our partners.

“We are proud of the immersive technology behind the pod and we believe it will boost the great family fun already on offer. This is one of Immotion’s highest-profile VR experiences so far and shows that out-of-home VR is increasingly becoming a major part of the worldwide attractions and experiences industry.”

Jenn McDonough, General Manager, Manchester Cluster, Merlin Entertainments, said: “We’re thrilled to be the first location in the UK to offer this amazing experience. We were the first LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre in the UK, and remain the largest, so it is fitting that we are spearheading this entirely new concept. It’s incredibly exciting to be a part of, and I’m certain our Lego fans are going to love it!”

 

Enquiries:

Immotion Group

Martin Higginson

Tel: +44 (0) 161 235 8505

WH Ireland Limited (Nomad and Joint Broker)

Adrian Hadden

Jessica Cave

Tel: +44 (0) 207 220 1666

Shard Capital Partners LLP (Joint Broker)

Damon Heath

Erik Woolgar

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7186 9900

Redleaf Communications (Financial PR)

Elisabeth Cowell

Robin Tozer

Ian Silvera

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3757 6880

Immotion@redleafpr.com

 

Media Contacts for LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Manchester:

Rule 5

Sophie Charlesworth

firstnname@rule-5.co.uk

Lizzie Parr

0161 660 3701

 

About Immotion Group

Immotion Group, co-founded by Martin Higginson and David Marks in 2017, generates revenues through the delivery of high quality “state of the art” VR experiences, combined with cutting edge motion platforms to consumers at an affordable price point through a range of routes:

·     Sales – sale of VR Motion Platforms to Leisure and Entertainment operators provide the opportunity for the operator to drive substantial ancillary revenues

·     Concession partners – currently installed at Merlin Entertainments’ LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre in Boston, USA and Genting Resorts World in Birmingham, with further sites under agreement – this channel provides an opportunity for its partners to earn ancillary revenues, as well as providing an exciting additional attraction to their facilities

·     Owned and franchised outlets, trading as Immotion VR, located in high footfall shopping centres – first retail store in Bristol (opened in December) has seen growing revenues, and has enjoyed 100% 5* reviews on TripAdvisor

 

About MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS plc

MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS plc is the leading name in location-based, family entertainment. Europe’s Number 1 and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates 109 attractions, 12 hotels/4 holiday villages in 23 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its almost 63 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and c26,000 employees (peak season). 

Among Merlin’s attractions are – SEA LIFE, Madame Tussauds, LEGOLAND, The London Eye, Dungeons, Gardaland, LEGOLAND Discovery Centres, Alton Towers Resort, Warwick Castle, THORPE PARK Resort, Blackpool Tower, Heide Park Resort, Sydney Tower Eye and SKYWALK.  All brands which are distinctive, challenging and innovative – and which have great potential for growth in the future. Visit www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information.

 

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
 

END

 

Immotion Group IPO as interest in VR continues to skyrocket

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Sure Ventures backed Immotion Group have today listed on AIM after announcing their intent to list officially last week. Immotion Group are striving to become the market leader in ‘out of home’ entertainment, combining best in class Virtual Reality with cutting edge motion platforms to create a unique, fully immersive entertainment experience. The state of the art experiences will be offered to consumers in leisure destinations such as shopping centres and family entertainment centres.

Immotion Group was the first direct investment by the entrepreneur led Venture Capital firm, Sure Ventures in April 2018 who specialise in AR, VR and IoT and is led by Chief Investment Officer, Barry Downes.

Speaking of the IPO, Barry Downes commented “As we know, the VR and AR space is booming, and the market is forecast to grow significantly over the next few years. Immotion Group are pioneers in the industry and, with their unique immersive experience, they’re set to fully transform family, out of home entertainment. The team behind Immotion are a group of true innovators and we don’t see anything slowing them down.”

The full operation of Immotion Group incorporates three key areas – Content Creation, Motion Platforms and Proprietary Content Management Systems which allows the company to continue to evolve and offer fresh, high quality content. Within their content creation, Immotion’s subsidiaries, ‘Studios’ and ‘C2K’ have over 20 years of expertise in computer generated animation. Their historic clients include BBC, Toyota and Warner Brothers.

The unique cinema pod motion platforms from Immotion have been developed in exclusive partnership with a Chinese manufacturer which has enabled Immotion to optimise their hardware design and functionality. Whilst their bespoke Content Management System allows the group to analyse experience statistics on each machine in real time in addition to distributing content.

For investors, the revenue model for Immotion has four key channels to market. 1) Motion Platform Sales which will see distribution throughout Europe, North America and the Middle East. 2) Immotion VR, which Immotion will own and operate platforms in shopping malls and high footfall locations, consumers will pay a small fee for the experience. 3) Concessions, through partnership opportunities with high traffic leisure destination partners. VR content will be tailored to suit the location and revenue will be shared with the concession partner. 4) Turnkey & Commercial Solutions which will see Immotion continue to offer immersive solutions for commercial clients as well as larger turnkey VR solutions.

Speaking of the IPO, Rob Wiegold from Shard Capital Stockbrokers said “This is a very interesting sector and we feel Immotion have the right management team in place to drive this model forward. There has been significant appetite in the IPO from investors and should the company be able to take advantage of their current pipeline, we see it being a very interesting 12-18 months ahead.”

As virtual and augmented realities become more accessible, there’s no surprise that the industry is seeing exponential growth. The VR industry in the UK alone is set to be worth £353.3 million by 2020, up a staggering 390% as the industry was worth just £46.4 million in 2016. Globally, the AR and VR market is set to hit US$547.2 billion by 2024 across software and hardware technologies.[1]

For more information on Immotion Group, please contact Shard Capital Stockbrokers on 0207 186 9950 / scsb@shardcapital.com

 

Sources

  1. Transparency Market Research. 2018. Global Virtual and Augmented Reality Market: Snapshot. [ONLINE] Available at https://www.transperancymarketresearch.com/virtual-augmented-reality-market.html. [Accessed 5 July 2018].

 

Important Investment Information: The views above are published solely for information purposes and are not to be construed as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any securities, or related financial instruments. It does not constitute advice or a personal recommendation as defined by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) or take into account the particular investment objectives, financial situations or needs of individual investors. These views are based on public information and sources considered reliable. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Yields are variable and not guaranteed. Investments can fall as well as rise, therefore you could get back less than you invest. If you are unsure about the appropriateness of an investment for your circumstances please seek independent financial advice. Investors should form their own view on any proposed investment. This publication has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and is considered a marketing communication. Figures correct as at 5 July 2018 unless otherwise stated. This publication is issued by Shard Capital Partners LLP, 20 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 3BY United Kingdom who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Sure Ventures Plc – Investee Company, Immotion, Lists on AIM

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SURE VENTURES PLC (SURE), a venture capital fund which invests in early stage software companies in the rapidly growing financial technology (‘FinTech’), augmented reality (‘AR’), virtual reality (‘VR’), and Internet of Things (‘IoT’) sectors, is pleased to announce that its first direct investee company, Immotion Group PLC (‘Immotion’), listed on AIM today having raised £5.75 million through an oversubscribed placing.

Immotion is a UK-based company focused on becoming a leading participant in the ‘Out of Home’ VR experience market by creating and publishing high quality VR content and combining it with its VR motion platforms to create truly immersive experiences.   Given that this sector is forecast to grow seven-fold to $8bn by 2022, Immotion is well placed to capitalise on its position as a key player in the space; it is already generating revenues through sales with leisure and entertainment operators, concession partners such as Merlin Entertainments, and owned and franchised outlets.

On 24 April 2018 Sure announced that it had invested £500,000 in Immotion at a pre-money valuation of £8 million. Sure is pleased to inform investors that Immotion’s placing and admission to trading on AIM has today been successfully concluded (Ticker IMMO.L).

Immotion raised £5.75 million (gross proceeds) to scale its out of home VR content and platform roll out. The pre-money valuation achieved in the significantly over-subscribed placing was £13 million, which represents an unrealised gain of circa 60% on Sure’s initial investment.

Sure Director, Gareth Burchell, said, “Having invested in Immotion in April this year, we are delighted that it has now listed on AIM, which will further raise its profile and fast-track its strategy focused on building the business across the UK, Europe and the USA.   The placing was significantly oversubscribed, providing further confidence in the sector given that other professional investors have also recognised the opportunity that this company offers.  It operates in a buoyant sector and is one of the few companies in its target markets providing out of home VR experiences. We look forward to watching its progress with interest.”

 

ENDS

 

For further information, please visit www.sureventuresplc.com or contact:

 

Gareth Burchell

Sure Ventures plc

+44 (0) 20 7186 9918

Isabel de Salis / Priit Piip

St Brides Partners (Financial PR)

+44 (0) 20 7236 1177

Immotion

immotion@redleafpr.com

+44 (0) 20 3757 6880

 

Notes to editors:

Sure Ventures plc listed on the London Stock Exchange in January 2018, giving retail investors access to an asset class that is usually dominated by private venture capital funds. The Company aims to provide investors with a diversified exposure to three rapidly-growing markets: augmented reality/virtual reality, FinTech and Internet of Things.  Sure is focusing on companies in the UK, Republic of Ireland and other European countries, making seed and series A investments in companies with first rate management teams, products which benefit from market validation with target revenue run rates of at least £400,000 over the next 12 months. 

Website: https://www.sureventuresplc.com/

 

About Immotion

Immotion is UK-based company focused on creating superior out-of-home immersive virtual reality experiences in Europe and the USA.

Website: http://www.immotiongroup.com/

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

Ready, set, mass adoption? Virtual Reality full steam ahead

Posted on by shardadmin

In today’s world, Virtual Reality is something you can’t escape. For a long time, we siloed experiences such as VR to gaming, however now everyday people are engaging with VR in their everyday lives. In gaming, travel, real estate and healthcare we are seeing the introduction and revolutionising of VR technologies and before too long, we can expect to see mass adoption.

 

Last week leading Virtual Reality game developer Immotion Group received an additional £500,000 in investment from Venture Capital fund Sure Ventures. Immotion create superior out of home immersive VR experiences and will use the £500,000 funds raised to fast-track the roll-out of its product worldwide and create new content. Immotion Group will next month open their first VR gaming arcade just outside of London.

This week, the momentum for VR continues to strive forward with £20mil in fundraising by EVR Holdings. EVR are one of the leading creators in virtual reality content and the holding company of Melody VR. Melody VR officially launched this week at Facebook’s F8 conference and gives users an immersive music experience, allowing fans to watch performances on their VR headsets with content created from previous live performances, sold-out concerts, festivals and special events. Singer Adele is even said to have invested in the company and EVR has already secured partnerships within the industry with Warner Music, Sony Music and Universal Music.

EVR has already raised £70mil to date and the additional funding will be used to further their global expansion outside of the UK and the US. Speaking about the placing, Anthony Matchett, Executive Chairman and CEO of EVR said, “As we move forward, we are confident that a global roll-out of the Melody VR platform will not only serve to supplement and increase the company’s potential revenue generation capabilities but will also serve to increase content consumption, brand awareness and IP value overall.”  EVR is also set to explore additional immersive technologies outside of VR, such as interactive advertising and augmented reality.

In a further nod to VR, earlier this week UK based VR Education’s multi award winning educational experience Apollo 11 was announced as part of the launch collection of the new Oculus Go; the Facebook owned VR headset.  The all new design with built in speakers, optimised graphics and overall superior quality of the Oculus Go, in addition to its attractive £199 RRP is set to accelerate the introduction of immersive VR experiences into homes and lives of people around the world.

Gareth Burchell, Head of Stockbroking at Shard Capital and appointed broker for VR Education commented, “This week’s announcement is amazing recognition to the superior educational experiences VR Education are creating and introducing at all levels.”

The VR Education Apollo 11 announcement reacted very well on the day with the share price hitting a high of 18.9p (Tuesday 2 May) and closing 35% up on the day. VR Education has a market cap of £28mil after its March 12 (2018) listing on the LSE.

 

For more information on Shard Capital or Sure Ventures, please contact us.