Trocadero to scrap Segaworld admission charge

Trocadero is poised to scrap admission prices at Segaworld, the troubled hi-tech amusement park which forms the centre-piece of its London leisure complex - its latest attempt to revive Segaworld's flagging fortunes.

Segaworld is to undergo a pounds 650,000 facelift and allow customers in free in an effort to make Europe's largest indoor entertainment centre profitable, according to industry sources.

John Conlan, Trocadero's new chairman. said yesterday: "We have realised that this is not an indoor theme park. It is an amusement arcade and you would not normally pay to go to an amusement arcade."

Segaworld is a pounds 50m joint venture between Trocadero and Sega, the Japanese games giant. It has proved an embarrassing flop since it opened its doors in 1996, which has sent Trocadero's share price tumbling to 19.5p after standing at 79.5p last year.

Poor attendance forced Segaworld to slash admission prices from pounds 12 to pounds 2. Even so only about 1 million people have come through its doors this year, 700,000 less than forecast.