A Lenton fruit machine firm famous for supplying pubs across the UK is taking its games online for the first time.
Bell Fruit Group, which have made hundreds of thousands of units over 53 years, is looking to expand.
The company was established in 1963 and is looking to make a change as the closure of pubs have affected the sales.
More than 200 employees work at its factory to produce thousands of machines per year.
John Austin, managing director of Bell Fruit Group, said: “We are a fairly significant employer of Nottingham people since 1963.
We hope to carry on expanding
“We hope to carry on expanding but our future is online as well as continuing to manufacture in Nottingham and this will carry on being a healthy part of our business.”
Bell Fruit are the leading provider of category C games which are the games that are most commonly seen in pubs.
John Lowton, Operations Director, said: “We are a healthy manufacturer, we’re the leading manufacturer in Nottingham and there are very few of us left.
“We recruit quite regularly as the demand for the business is high, a lot of our employees have been with us for over 25 years.”
Video: John Lowton, operations director, talking about future of Bell Fruit.Â
Recently the company has produced its 100th ‘Deal or No Deal’ fruit machine.
Other popular fruit machines include Queen – the rock band theme – and the newest to join the varieties is a Batman version.
One machine can take up to eight weeks to produce, with the design and music being produced by engineers at the Nottingham base.
Robert Hassell, sound engineer and composer, said: “I get inspiration for the music which will be used on the machines, through the artwork which is produced in-house.
“For the Batman-themed machine, I used the same software which was used for the actual Batman movie soundtrack.
“The music is part of the experience, it is as important as the game itself.”
Gallery: Bell Fruit machines old and new and a peak inside the factory
