In its latest financial report, Mellors Group posted revenues of £67.6m and pre-tax profits of £12m, with the Fantasy Island and Skegness Pier owner describing its trading performance for the year ending 30 September 2023 as “robust”.

Fantasy Island and Skegness Pier owner Mellors Group has posted a “robust trading performance” for its latest financial year as the operator continues to expand into the competitive socialising sector. 

The fourth-generation family-run company, headquartered in Nottingham, hit revenues of £67.6m for the year ending 30 September 2023, down from £90.4m in 2022. However, the company was quick to clarify that the prior year’s figures included a one-off £35m from ride sales, which was “not repeated in the current year”, leading to a “core trading turnover increase of £15m”. 

Over the same period, pre-tax profits dipped slightly from £13.3m to £12m reflecting the broader hospitality sector’s tough economic journey out of lockdowns. In its statement, the board acknowledged how Covid-related restrictions had impacted operations and emphasised the company’s successful recovery since.

“The easing of Covid restrictions towards the end of 2021 and 2022 saw the re-opening of leisure facilities in both the UK and globally, which allowed the group to deliver a robust return to profitability in FY22,” said a spokesperson for the company. “

This robust performance has continued into FY23 with the group being able to deliver its leisure offering in the markets and geographies in which it operates, all of which have returned to satisfactory profit levels.”

The company also highlighted its expansion into competitive socialising through its Urban Playground venue in Manchester, with the operator joining a sector that has seen rapid growth over the last few years. 

And Mellors is  not short of ambitions in this area. “As planned, the group has continued the development of its competitive socialising venues concept during the year,” it noted. “The business opened its first CSV site during the previous year and has now secured a number of additional prominent city centre sites in the UK, which are planned to open over FY24 and FY25.”

In June 2024, the group’s second venue in competitive venue launched in London, bringing its The Cube concept to Canary Wharf. The group said it remains committed to expanding its footprint while maintaining strong trading performance across its theme parks and attractions.