Hollywood Bowl hails record H1 revenues; Canada ahead of expectations

Hollywood Bowl posted a jump in interim profits on Tuesday amid record revenue, as it said its Canadian business was performing ahead of expectations.

In the six months to the end of March, pre-tax profit rose 7.7% to £26.7m, on revenue of £110.2m, up 20.7% on the same period a year earlier. Like-for-like revenue growth was 3.5%.

Hollywood Bowl hailed a "continued strong performance", as customers look for value-for-money leisure experiences.

The company said Canada was performing ahead of its expectations, with the business there generating earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of CAD5m (£3.1m) during the period.

The board declared an interim dividend of 3.27p per share, up 9% on the first half of 2022.

Chief executive Stephen Burns said: "As we navigate the current economic landscape, we understand that many of our customers are facing challenges such as rising living costs and higher interest rates. This is why we continue to focus on providing a high-quality leisure experience that offers great value for money."