EE Studio opens cutting-edge Gaming Zone for free birthday parties as two in five parents struggle to afford them

• The EE Studio in Westfield London, White City, is celebrating its first anniversary by opening its Gaming Zone as a free bookable space for parents to host birthday parties, with priority access for local community groups.
• It follows research that finds two in five (41 percent) parents struggle to afford their children’s birthdays, with the average party now costing £246. 
• Hundreds of prizes were up for grabs for visitors at the store yesterday (Wednesday 30^th October) including a Nintendo Switch OLED gaming bundle for whoever can record the fastest lap on Forza 5. 
• The birthday celebrations were kicked off on Tuesday 29th October with a closed event for a group of children from the local community, with Bradley Riches, star of hit Netflix show Heartstopper, making a surprise appearance to try out the latest consoles and celebrate the first anniversary of EE’s brand refresh. 

EE’s flagship Studio store in Westfield London, White City, is celebrating its first birthday by opening its cutting-edge Gaming Zone as a free bookable space for parents to host birthday parties, with priority access given to local West London community groups.

It follows new research from EE that finds two in five (41 percent) parents struggle to afford their children’s birthday. The average party now costs £246 per child, with younger parents aged 18 to 34, typically spending £308. Over a million children in the UK don’t get to celebrate their birthday with a party, and cost is a big factor. That’s despite more than half of parents (52 percent) saying that celebrating with friends is the most important thing to their child on their birthday, ahead of cake (48 percent), presents (47 percent) and doing something with their family (43 percent).

The EE Studio opened in 2023, alongside a new direction for the brand, with a renewed focus on gaming. EE marked the occasion on Wednesday morning with a visit from Bradley Riches, star of hit Netflix show Heartstopper and Celebrity Big Brother. Bradley had his gaming face on as he dropped in to try out the latest consoles and titles in the Gaming Zone.

To further celebrate the anniversary of the brand refresh and flagship store, the EE Studio is today holding a day of in-store celebrations and activities. Visitors will have a chance to win hundreds of gaming prizes throughout the day, including a Nintendo Switch OLED bundle for whoever can log the best lap on the hit driving game Forza 5.

Heartstopper and Celebrity Big Brother star, Bradley Riches, comments: “Celebrating special occasions with family and friends has always meant the world to me, so I’m excited to be part of this incredible initiative with EE. There are more than a million deserving families that struggle to give their kids a party on their birthday, and as I see it, that’s more than a million amazing memories missed out on.  It’s fantastic to see EE give back to the London community in such a meaningful way. I hope this cool space gives more kids a day they’ll never forget.”

 Asif Aziz, Retail Director at EE, comments: “Our flagship Studio store was designed to be a hub for the local community to work, learn and play, with our Gaming Zone created as one of the UK’s largest dedicated community gaming hubs. We’re delighted to now take that a step further by opening up our Gaming Zone as a free bookable space and giving priority access to the local community so families can experience even more unforgettable moments together.

It has been a hugely exciting year for EE, with scores of Experience and Experience Local stores now open nationwide. Our stores give local communities the opportunity to try out the latest tech, with our fantastic EE Guides on hand to share their personal advice and expertise. We look forward to continuing to deliver exciting retail experiences and the most personal, customer-focused service on the high street”.

The flagship EE Studio in West London is the UK’s largest telco retail space, designed to deliver the best connectivity and technology solutions for customers and serve as a hub for the local community to work, learn and play. It was created as part of EE’s retail strategy to champion innovation and community through new Experience stores, bringing technology to life for customers up and down the country.

The EE Studio Gaming Zone can be booked by emailing Events.studio@ee.co.uk, with priority access given to West London community groups.