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Hollywood Bowl Group PLC on Tuesday reported higher annual earnings and revenue, as it said bookings were boosted by dynamic pricing. Shares in Hollywood Bowl were up 1.8% at 284.40 pence on Tuesday morning in London, though they are down 15% over the past year. The Hemel Hempstead, England-based ten-pin bowling operator said pretax profit climbed 3.6% to £44.3 million in the financial year that ended September 30 from £42.8 million the year prior, as revenue grew 8.8% to £250.7 million from £230.4 million. Earnings per share jumped 16% to 20.28 pence from 17.42p. Hollywood Bowl declared a final dividend of 9.18p per share, up 14% to 8.08p a year prior. The total dividend for the year is 13.28p, 10% higher than last year’s 12.06p payout. The firm said UK like-for-like sales were up 1.1% in the recent year, despite a ‘challenging backdrop for indoor leisure’, with spend per game 9.2% higher. Overall like-for-like revenue growth was 0.6%, or 1.3% on a constant currency basis. Hollywood Bowl said it opened a record five new sites in the UK during the year, with two more in Canada. The firm said it is on track to reach 130 centres by 2035, with 95 in the UK and 35 in Canada. Dynamic pricing helped to ‘stimulate bookings’ during the year, Hollywood Bowl added, as it said a new booking system drove increased conversion and order values. Last month, the company said Chief Financial Officer Laurence Keen will leave the board for a ‘more operational role’ as chief executive officer of the Canada region. Antony Smith, who was previously CFO of bowling peer Ten Entertainment Group PLC, will join the board as CFO on February 2. ‘We delivered a fourth consecutive year of record revenue and adjusted [earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation], against a backdrop of industry-wide challenges,’ said Chief Executive Officer Stephen Burns. ‘This performance demonstrates the resilience of our model and the enduring appeal of bowling for consumers. As we look to 2026, we remain focussed on delivering sustainable growth, while generating the compelling shareholder returns we are known for.’ Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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