Gloucester's Ultimate Warriors head to auction after administration

Gloucester's Ultimate Warriors, the 22,000 sq. ft. indoor adventure venue, closed its doors in May 2026 after six and a half years of trading.

Directors Elliot Greaves and Sarah Greaves said they were "devastated to have a sale fall through at the last minute" despite strong interest in the business, as rising taxes, energy costs, wages, insurance, business rates and supplier prices outpaced what the venue could pass on to customers.

Neil Vinnicombe and Paul Wood of BTG Begbies Traynor were appointed joint administrators of operator ESG Leisure Limited, and BTG Eddisons Asset Sales secured their role in recovering the value of Ultimate Warriors’ assets through auction.

The venue’s contents include an indoor Ninja Warrior-style obstacle and assault course, an inflatable obstacle park, and the café and catering equipment, which will all be available to bid on until 30 September.

The auction lasts between 10 and 30 September, with viewings to be arranged for 29 September between 10:00 and 13:00. Collection is available on 5 and 6 October.

Valuing a leisure venue and its assets

Bespoke obstacle rigs and inflatable structures do not move through a standard commercial sale in the way that office furniture or catering equipment does. They are built for a specific type of venue, so valuing them extends to knowing which operators are opening or expanding indoor activity parks right now, rather than treating the rig as generic surplus. The cafe equipment and furniture sit in a different buyer pool entirely, closer to a standard hospitality clearance. Nonetheless, we have two distinct markets within a single instruction.

What this means for the hospitality sector

Ultimate Warriors' closure reflects a wider pattern of leisure and hospitality operators finding themselves up against a combination of costs, even where trade itself held up; the venue was Gloucester's top-rated attraction in its category on TripAdvisor, but external factors often prove too much.

For any operator facing the same pressures, getting real value for purpose-built equipment, rather than a knockdown price for generic surplus, matters as much as the decision to close in the first place.

Director David Ross adds: "An indoor obstacle course or inflatable park isn't something you value the way you'd value a set of restaurant chairs. The equipment is built for a specific type of venue, so we're looking for operators who are opening or expanding indoor activity sites, not just anyone clearing space.

“Getting that buyer pool right is what determines whether these assets are worth what they should be."

If you would like to discuss this instruction or any of our other sales, complete the form below and a member of the BTG Eddisons Asset Sales team will be in touch.