Hollywood Bowl: Ten-pin bowling operator smashes records with strong UK drive
UK sales rose 4.7 per cent to £108.2m, as families continued to seek affordable, fun leisure experiences.
Like-for-like UK revenue climbed 1.3 per cent, with three new centres opened and four refurbishments completed in the period.
The group also delivered a strong performance in Canada, where revenue soared 40.8 per cent to £21.2m, benefiting from new openings and a double-digit jump in like for like sales.
The ten-pin bowling operator opened five new centres across both markets and completed six refurbishments, reinforcing its long term strategy to reach 130 centres by 2035.
Group like for like revenue rose 2.1 per cent, despite an Easter timing drag and leap year impact.
A £10m share buyback completed in April further signals the company’s robust numbers, with a net cash position of £22.7m and an undrawn £35m revolving credit facility.
Hollywood Bowl also continues to show resilience against inflation, keeping prices relatively low despite rising employment costs – which is expected to contribute £1.2m annually from when the changes were implemented in April 2025.
The company had warned in December that its labour cost would go up due to changes announced in the Autumn budget, it expected the annual bill to rise by just £1.2m.
Chief executive Stephen Burns said: “We are pleased with our half year performance, with results in line with our expectations, reflecting the ongoing demand for fun leisure activities and the attraction of bowling as an affordable, inclusive experience that everyone can enjoy.”
Spark, Tiprank’s AI analyst, maintains an ‘outperform’ rating on the stock, citing strong fundamentals and shareholder returns – though technical indicators suggest some downside risk.