Bhaskar sets up Sun City park

The Bhopal-based, Rs 1,200-crore Bhaskar group, with interests in publishing, solvents, edible oils, textiles and cable television, has quietly entered the entertainment business.

It has launched a family entertainment park in Gwalior. Called Sun City, the park is built on 15 acre of land and offers complete entertainment to the family in terms of joy rides, boating facilities, eating joints, video games, a small shopping arcade and a 3-D theatre.

According to Dainik Bhaskar's director Girish Agarwal, the Gwalior project is the first in the chain of Sun City parks the group is planning to open. "We are looking at spaces in Indore and Bhopal. The first phase of investment is close to Rs 7 crore and we are evaluating a few more options," he says.

Commenting on why the group forayed into the family entertainment category, Agarwal says that entertainment is a growing business and the group feels there will be opportunities in the segment. "Besides, it is not a credit business. The revenue is generated from ticket sales."

Bhaskar's entry into the business was also pushed by the fact that the company managed to get a good location for the park. "It is a close to a trade ground that hosts an annual trade show visited by 25 lakh people," admits Agarwal.

Sun City, which comes under the Writers and Publishers Ltd, expects a footfall of between 12 lakh and 15 lakh a year. Agarwal believes that the viability of the entertainment parks may vary from state to state.

"Places which have too many of them, may not be seeing big growth. However, we expect major growth in our territory which does not have a single park."

As for Dainik Bhaskar, the group's Hindi daily published from MP, Rajasthan and Punjab, Agarwal says that Sun City could only have a positive rub off on the brand.