Hollywood Bowl sales lift amid growing demand and new openings

The 10-pin bowling operator revealed that total sales increased by 49.2 per cent to £193.7m for the year to September, compared with the same period in 2019 before the impact of the pandemic. Like-for-like sales were up 28.2 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, with the rest of the growth driven by new venues and the acquisition of Canadian firm Splitsville.

Sales were almost triple levels seen last year as the firm was hit by Covid-19 restrictions. The group also benefited from three new sites opening over the financial year, in Belfast, Birmingham and Harrow.

Hollywood Bowl has also two additional venues for far this financial year and plans “at least” a further 10 by 2025.

Bosses also highlighted a “strong” start to the new financial year with an “encouraging” number of bookings ahead of Christmas.

Stephen Burns, the chief executive officer, said: "I am delighted with our excellent performance and record revenue this year, which demonstrates the continued success of our proven customer-led strategy. It is also testament to the significant efforts of our team who have provided consistently great, affordable experiences, appealing to customers facing increasing pressures during the cost-of-living crisis.

"We are well positioned to continue to grow our business, supported by our strong balance sheet, highly cash generative business model and our resilience to inflationary pressures. We are very excited about the growth opportunities for our Hollywood Bowl, Puttstars and Splitsville brands in the UK and Canada and our ability to generate further attractive returns through investment in our customer experience.

"We have had a strong start to the new financial year with an encouraging number of pre-bookings received ahead of Christmas, demonstrating the continued strong demand for high quality, great value leisure experiences that families and friends can enjoy together."