Two UK theme parks owned by the French company Looping Group have reported mixed results in their latest accounts.
After tax, Drayton Manor reported a £1.6 million profit, while Pleasurewood Hills documented a near-£105,000 loss.
Figures are for the year ending 30 September 2023, which includes the majority of the last operating season.
Drayton Manor’s current profits have fallen from £2.9 million in 2022.
Pleasurewood Hills’ losses compare with the modest £80,000 post-tax profit reported in the previous year.
The Looping Group replaced the previous family ownership of Drayton Manor in 2020.
‘Cash pooling’
In a strategic report published alongside the accounts, Looping said that events at Drayton Manor had been a “success story”.
But it identified weather and inflation as having a detrimental effect on the Tamworth theme park’s performance.
A system of “cash pooling” is also described, in which the bank balances of both Drayton Manor and Pleasurewood Hills are transferred into a central account each day.
That account is held under the Looping Parks UK Limited company, which has recorded losses of about £2 million in each of the past two years.
2023 saw significant investment at Drayton Manor, where a new Vikings area was added.
An Intamin lift & launch rollercoaster is also set to open at the park this summer.
By contrast, Pleasurewood Hills has seen no obviously comparable investment in recent years.