“Everyone has thought one day of participating in a TV game, now is the time to try it!” attacks Nicolas Foufé, Lorraine entrepreneur and ex-banker, who opened in Nancy, with his wife Anne- Laure Foufé, a concept that they claim to be innovative. Called Cube TV, this 500 m2 place in Nancy offers the time of a one-hour session to put yourself in the role of a television candidate. 5 stages have were developed by the couple at the head of the company, who take up the codes of popular games. “We surveyed the customers of our escape games to develop the most anticipated games,” says Anne-Laure Foufé.
The result ? “Nancy’s Twelve Blows”; “the bagle quiz” or “the Wheel by cube”. So many titles which – deliberately – recall others that exist or have existed on television. “We develop the games, the settings, the questions ourselves, that’s our favorite part,” laugh the managers. But these entertainers have a good head on their shoulders. Their activities currently employ 26 full-time equivalents and will be around a million euros in turnover in 2022.
Create a national franchise
“We initially thought we would develop our escape games as a franchise but the Covid happened. Ultimately, it is with Cube TV that we will spread throughout France,” hopes the manager. The couple plans, after a first year of operating Cube TV, to expand with a network of trusted entrepreneurs. Five Cube TV openings are already in the pipeline in the short term, in Metz, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Saint-Étienne in 2023 then Nîmes in 2024.
“The contribution for the franchisee is around 50,000 euros. We then help them find additional bank financing to the tune of 200,000 euros,” explains Nicolas Foufé. “The profitability is more interesting than an escape game. on the one hand, because the playing time, like the time to prepare the set, is a little shorter, on the other hand because a client can come back several times a year and confront new questions.
Currently the clientele is made up of 70% professionals. “The advantage of this concept is that it affects all ages, so it’s quite easy to take a team there for a seminar or a moment of team building,” adds Anne-Laure Foufé, who is however working to increase individual customers in his establishment.
“Our objective is now to gain height to develop the franchise, explain the managers. In November we will appoint a structural manager for our own establishments, in order to concentrate on the search for new franchisees and communication around our Furthermore, we are seeking to finalize national agreements to simplify our development, in partnership with the Banque Populaire and the CIC.
