Prospering during a pandemic: Veltmeijer Group opens and remodels 9 locations across Europe with Embed solutions

By | April 27, 2021

DUBAI, U.A.E. — Transforming the business of fun since 2001, Embed, the worldwide leader of the cashless business management systems and solutions for the amusement, entertainment, and leisure industries, has recently signed a three-year exclusive agreement with Veltmeijer Group in the Netherlands to open amusement centers across Europe. Veltmeijer Group consists of Gamestate, Gametown, Gamecity arcade and Family Entertainment Centers, which has over 40 sites and 18 stores with Embed. As their business grows, Veltmeijer Group has real-time visibility and control across their entire operation by partnering with Embed as their preferred cashless business solution.

Despite the uncertainty due to the pandemic, Veltmeijer Group pushed forward with their business expansion, opening new locations such as:
1. Gametown Het Heijderbos, Center Parcs, Netherlands, opened February 14, 2020
2. Gametown De Kempervennen, Center Parcs, Netherlands, opened April 8, 2020
3. Gamestate Breda, Netherlands, opened July 1, 2020
4. Gametown De Vossemeren, Center Parcs, Belgium, opened October 6, 2020
5. Gamecity Praha, Hamleys (largest toy store in Europe), Czech Republic, opened December 2, 2020 
6. Gametown Bispinger Heide, Center Parcs, Germany, opened December 10, 2020
7. Gametown De Eemhof, Center Parcs, Netherlands, opened December 2020
8. Gamecity de Lommerbergen, Landal GreenParks, Netherlands, opened February 11 2021
9. Gamestate, Mall of the Netherlands, Westfield, Netherlands, opened March 18, 2021

Opening up a new arcade amid a global pandemic would have raised eyebrows, but Veltmeijer Group opened 9 locations across different parts of Europe. The Gamestate, Gametown, and Game City teams took advantage of the lockdown and hustled together, getting themselves ready to open one location after another as soon as the restrictions eased.

Veltmeijer Group installed Embed’s award-winning smartTOUCH readers, which includes a customised message, “Please Clean This Game After Use,” further validating the pandemic’s impact on the family entertainment industry and its elevated cleaning protocols with stricter cleaning schedules. Embed’s self-service kiosk helped them during this period as well as their customers. Embed’s full-service, all-in-one KIOSK works with a built-in server, always online and never down due to its dual-card dispenser and automatic recycling of game cards.

Roger Tubée, CEO of Veltmeijer Group, says, “Despite the challenges that we face during the pandemic, we are fortunate we could proceed with our robust expansion plan across Europe. We are proud of our team’s effort and our collaboration with Embed to make all the opening of our new venues possible and seamless. We are pleased to have Embed’s cashless technology in our venues, especially now that cashless payment solution is rising as it ensures guests’ safety. Having the TOOLKIT system with the smartTOUCH game card readers and KIOSK helps us save time and increase our operational efficiency at our amusement centers. We are looking forward to our next site opening in France soon.”

Veltmeijer Group is also keen to use the Mobile Wallet as they are a technology pioneer in the industry. They are exploring more hands-free solutions at their venue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their customers will no longer hav eto buy and carry a game card as their mobile is always with them. Embed is giving away the Mobile Wallet for free as part of their COVID-19 Relief Act and including a Creative Marketing Toolkit to help FEC Operator’s drive consumer adoption (from FEC T-Shirts to instruction that include the dedicated FEC QR code, everything an operator requires to expedite consumer usage).

Embed takes great pride in its partnership with Veltmeijer Group. “We are extremely proud and excited with all the recent openings of Gamestate, Gametown, and Gamecity Amusement Centres across Europe. The smooth and successful implementation of Embed integrated solutions at these respective sites is fundamentally due to the great collaboration we have with the Veltmeijer Group. We look forward to many years of fuelling fun in their venues, supporting them to improve and achieve success at every step, from their venue renovations to their ongoing expansion plans,” said Daniel Hudson, Global Head of Sales, Embed.