Hollywood Bowl “continues to build” pipeline as new property director appointed
Hollywood Bowl said it is continuing to build its pipeline, as the leisure operator appoints a new director of property.
This comes as the group – which operates 71 centres in the UK – releases a trading update for the six months ending 31 March 2024.
During the period, Hollywood Bowl opened one new venue and completed three refurbishments in the UK. The group said it is on track to open a new site in Dundee in May, with a further two venues in Colchester and Westwood Cross due to open later in the financial year. The operator expects to open four more centres in the 2025 financial year.
Hollywood Bowl recorded a UK revenue of £103.3m during the six-month period, up 4.4% against the same period the previous year.
The group – which had a net cash of £41.4m at period end – said its highly cash generative business model enables it to further invest in growing its portfolio in the UK and internationally, through new centre openings, acquisitions and its rolling refurbishment and rebrand programme.
Stephen Burns, chief executive officer of Hollywood Bowl Group, said: “We are pleased with the strong trading performance achieved in the first half of the year, particularly in the context of a very strong prior year comparative. It reflects the continued demand for high quality, great value and fun leisure activities that families, friends and colleagues can enjoy together.
“Our teams play a very important role in our success and their excellent service and dedication to our customers’ experience is reflected in growing customer service scores. We continue to work hard to evolve our value-for-money customer proposition, including investment in innovation, technology, and sustainability programmes. Our strong cash position means we are well placed to continue to invest in improving and expanding our portfolio, both in the UK and Canada, and continue to create value for all our stakeholders.”
The leisure operator has also promoted Mark Johnson to property director, having previously held the roles of regional manager and then head of property. He has also held roles at Fusion Lifestyle, MWB Business Exchange, Nuffield Health, Esporta Health and Fitness, and Holmes Place.