The fascinating story behind modern Sulpie foosball tables

Sulpie tables have always been instantly recognisable, easily distinguishing themselves amongst other table football games. Over the decades, they’ve always been synonymous with classic French design, sporting an iconic 1950s style that evokes their origins as labours of love from a small family business in rural France.

Sulpie is still going today, making those tables to the same exacting quality in the same place, which just goes to show the quality of the final product! We’re proud to stock them in our range of foosball and table football tables here at the Games Room Company – so allow us to tell you a little about how they came to be.

The French family who changed the face of foosball

Sulpie pride themselves on being, in their words, cabinetmakers ‘from father to son’. And they mean that in a very literal way. As a family business ourselves, theirs has always been a story that’s particularly resonated with us here at the Games Room Company.

It all began back in the 1950s. The founder of the company, Jean Sulpie, was then a carpenter and cabinetmaker. Together with his brother, he had a chance meeting with a fairground worker, who wanted to renovate a game table that he recovered in Italy. That table piqued the interest of the Sulpie brothers, ultimately it spurred them to embark on a whole new chapter of the family business. From then on, the cabinetmaking side of the business was supplemented by a growing interest in manufacturing their own foosball tables – and soon, the Sulpie family decided to wholly concentrate their efforts on the latter.

Jean Sulpie finally retired in 1989, and for a time it looked like Sulpie might fade to history, joining the annals of similar luxury leisure brands consigned to the distant blue yonder. But then in 2000, the business got a new lease of life from Oliver Sulpie, the son and nephew of the original founders of the brand, and relaunched the business with the help of his father.

Oliver’s new plans for Sulpie were ambitious but ultimately fruitful, and by honing the reputation of the brand and capitalising on the quality of its tables, he successfully transformed Sulpie into an international household name. Today, this humble family company can produce as many as 1200 tables a year. They’re all designed and assembled by hand in Coulonge, where Jean Sulpie started it all over half a century ago.

Marvels of engineering and pioneers of style

Sulpie has prided itself on its sustainable approach, and each of its tables are made in France using solid beech. Each piece of wood is sustainably harvested, and subjected to a rigorous selection process to ensure that it matches up to the high standards that buyers and players have come to expect. The company has also earned itself a reputation for being innovative, experimenting with design and gameplay over the years, and even going so far as to create tables that have been described as original works of art in their own right.

As you might expect, they’re all tables that we’re proud to stock right here at the Games Room Company. The rounded curves and contemporary silhouettes of Sulpie tables make them highly versatile pieces that can fit into almost any interior, and they’re available in a huge number of colours and trims to suit individual tastes. We even often several bespoke liveries here at the Games Room Company – so if you can dream it, we can create it for you!

And if you’re looking for a flavour of what we can achieve, might we recommend you take a quick look at the Gulf Sulpie foosball? It’s a limited edition piece produced right here at the Games Room Company to celebrate the Goodwood Revival of Speed, which is one of the biggest events in our annual calendar. Decorated in tones of orange and light blue, it’s been designed to celebrate the hugely successful Gulf racing team. It’s the perfect meld between the high-octane thrill of motorsport, and “The Beautiful Game” of football, one of the most popular sports on the face of the planet. In short, this iconic Soccer Deluxe is invitingly playable – a unique combination of an excellent game, and a valuable cultural souvenir.

Of course, it’s just one amongst our diverse range of table footballs, so whatever your tastes or interior style, you can be sure that we’ll have a table to suit you! Feel free to browse to your heart’s content in our expansive Weybridge showroom, or if you need any specific help or advice you can always give us a call on 01932 568 414. We’re here to help!

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