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XP Factory PLC on Wednesday said it has seen a marked improvement in trading since a difficult start to the financial year, with like-for-like sales in both its Escape Hunt and Boom Battle Bar brands recovering over the summer. Shares in XP Factory were down 11% at 9.50 pence in London on Wednesday afternoon. The Crawley, England-based leisure and entertainment company said group owner-operated revenue rose 12% year-on-year in the 19 weeks to August 10, supported by site openings and expansions. Escape Hunt UK like-for-like sales were up 0.4% in the year to date, boosted by an 8.6% rise in the six weeks to August 10 that offset a 3.5% fall in the first quarter. Boom UK like-for-like sales fell 5.6% year-to-date, but excluding the impact of Euro 2024 they rose 0.2% in the latest six-week period, after a 6.4% drop in the first quarter. XP Factory said cost controls and renegotiated supplier contracts had helped offset the earnings impact of the weak first quarter, when unseasonably hot weather, higher costs, and economic uncertainty hit demand across the hospitality sector. Corporate bookings have since rebounded, with the pipeline for the fourth quarter materially ahead of the same point last year. During the period, the company opened a new Boom site in Reading, which it said is trading materially ahead of plan, and an Escape Hunt in Canterbury, with an expansion at Birmingham Resorts World doubling capacity. It has also started building a new Escape Hunt in Sheffield and is in advanced talks for a further five sites. XP Factory said it remains ‘cautiously optimistic’ about meeting market expectations for the full year ending March 2026, assuming current trading trends continue. Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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