Our proven growth strategy
We achieve strong returns on capital invested, through our unrelenting focus on providing a great customer experience, and maximise the multiple growth opportunities available to us.
Driving revenue growth
We drive revenue growth by attracting new customers, increasing the frequency of visits, and encouraging higher ancillary spending.
Our approach:
- Sales, service, and safety excellence: We focus on superior
sales, service, and safety to improve centre performance. - Outstanding customer experience: We prioritise four key
drivers of customer satisfaction: value for money, cleanliness,
team friendliness, and service speed. - Extended dwell time: We offer a diverse entertainment
experience to increase customer dwell time. - Technology investment: We invest in technology to enhance the digital customer journey, driving sales and engagement.
- Targeted digital marketing: We maximise customer awareness and engagement through targeted digital marketing campaigns.
- Enhanced food and beverage: We evolve our menus and
remove barriers to ordering. - Accessible amusement options: We enhance our amusement
offer and focus on making them affordable and accessible. - Minimised downtime: We reduce bowling-lane downtime
through the rollout of Pins on Strings technology.
Achievements in FY2024:
- Net Promoter score: Achieved a record score of 70% in the UK.
- Customer satisfaction: 62% of UK customers were
highly satisfied. - Team member incentives: Bonus schemes linked to our four
critical customer satisfaction drivers. - New booking system: Launched our new customer booking
system to support further growth in the UK and Canada. - Marketing: Drove customer engagement rates and revenue
generation through our customer data platform. - Online experience: Refined functionality to simplify the customer website journey and improve product presentation, promotions, and dynamic pricing.
- Food and beverage: Enhanced our value snacks and sharers
menu, increasing at-lane orders. - Space optimisation: Added extra bowling lanes and extended
amusement areas where possible in our refurbishments.
7.1%
Total Group revenue growth
0.3%
UK LFL Hollywood Bowl revenue growth
5.9%
Canada LFL Splitsville revenue growth
Active asset refurbishment
Investment in our centres enhances the customer experience and drives sales, satisfaction levels and profitability.
Our approach:
- Refurbishment programme: We run a five-to-seven-year
refurbishment programme in the UK with an average spend of
c.£400k per centre, ensuring our centres remain in top condition
and allow us to introduce upgrades. Canada refurbishments are
costing more initially as we combine upgrades with required
maintenance spend to save time and further disruption. - Space optimisation: We reconfigure centres to optimise space
and drive revenues, such as combining bar and diner areas to
create more amusement space and introducing mini-golf
courses in under-utilised areas. - Enhanced amusement offerings: We increase the space,
density, and quality of family games and amusement machines,
driving ancillary revenues. - Digital content upgrades: We upgrade in-centre digital content
systems to improve customer engagement and encourage food
and beverage spending. - Sustainability investment: We invest in solar panels and Pins
on Strings to reduce our environmental impact.
Achievements in FY2024:
- Centre refurbishments: Completed the refurbishment or
rebranding of 12 centres (ten in the UK and two in Canada),
investing £11.5m in improvements. - Amusement space expansion: Added extra amusement space during refurbishments, creating more ways for our customers to spend, as well as higher pricepoint machines, dirving spend per game.
- Digital installations: Continued the rollout of in-centre
digital screens. - Nayax ‘Tap to Play’: Continued the rollout of Nayax ‘Tap to Play’.
- Pins on Strings: Completed the rollout of Pins on Strings in eight more centres, now in 64 UK centres at the end of FY2024.
- Solar panel installation: Installed solar panels at three more
centres in FY2024, bringing the UK total to 30 centres. - Brand updates: New brand framework introduced for Hollywood Bowl and new Canadian centres migrated to the Splitsville brand.
10
Centres refurbished or rebranded in FY2024
8.5%
LFL spend growth in first year after refurbishment
33%
Target average ROI on UK refurbishment capital expenditure
New centres and acquisitions
We actively pursue growth opportunities in new local markets by building additional centres and acquiring existing sites.
Our approach:
- Quality openings: We focus on high-quality locations, setting
a minimum 19 per cent ROI on net capital expenditure. - Strategic acquisitions: We seek acquisitions that meet strict
investment criteria, both overseas and in the UK, where we can
add value and achieve sustainable, profitable growth.
Achievements in FY2024:
- New centres: Opened three new Hollywood Bowl centres and
one new Splitsville centre. - Acquisitions: Acquired one centre in the UK and three centres
in Canada. - Construction: Commenced construction on four new centres
in the UK and two new centres in Canada.
4
New centres opened in the UK in FY2024
4
Centres added in Canada in FY2024
6
New Group centres targeted by end of FY2025
Focus on our people
Our dedicated, dynamic, and diverse teams are key to fulfilling the Group’s purpose.
Our approach:
- Positive culture: We foster a positive, inclusive, fun, and
high‑performance culture. - Clear purpose: We ensure our purpose is well understood and
underpins the way our teams work. - Training and development: We provide industry-leading training and development programmes.
- Career progression: We offer all team members opportunities
to progress and develop their careers. - Competitive compensation: We offer competitive pay, benefits, and bonus schemes.
- Engagement and communication: We actively engage and
regularly communicate with all team members.
Achievements in FY2024:
- Increased remuneration: Raised salaried centre teams’
remuneration by 5.3 per cent. - Performance bonuses: Rewarded more than 60 per cent of our hourly paid team members with performance-related bonuses.
- Employer brand: Promoted our employer brand to attract top
talent, a more diverse workforce, and increase job applicants. - Careers website: Increased visits by 26 per cent YOY.
- Training programmes: Increased the number of Assistant
Centre Manager and Centre Manager in Training programmes,
and held talent programmes for technicians and contact
centre teams. - Leadership development: 14 team members completed the
Senior Leadership Development Programme. - Internal promotions: Filled 58 per cent of management
vacancies from our internal talent pipeline. - Recognition: Ranked 12th in the UK’s Top 25 Best Big Companies to Work For in 2024 and achieved a 2* high-quality employee experience rating from WorkL.
58%
UK management vacancies filled internally
60%+
UK hourly paid team members receiving bonuses
£1.6m
Bonuses paid to UK centre teams
International expansion
We explore and evaluate international growth opportunities in the indoor leisure sector.
Our approach:
- Extensive research: We undertake customer and market
research to evaluate market opportunities. - Investment criteria: We target fragmented and underinvested
international markets that are ripe for consolidation and apply
strict investment criteria before entering new markets. - Trials: We conduct trials to test centre environments and
customer propositions.
Achievements in FY2024:
- Expansion of the Splitsville brand: From nine to 13 centres
consolidating its position as the largest branded ten-pin bowling
operator in Canada. - Refurbishments and rebrands: Refurbished two Canadian
centres and rebranded acquired centres to Splitsville. - Strengthened the senior leadership team: Expanded the
Canadian leadership team and initiated an ongoing upskilling
programme for Centre Managers. - UK team members: Recruited to support roles in the Canadian
team, facilitating cross-learning and improved ways of working.
4
Canadian centres added to the portfolio in FY2024
30
Target size of the Canadian estate by 2035
#1
Splitsville is the market-leading ten-pin bowling brand in Canada
