Strong results from Australian leisure group Ardent Leisure’s Main Event family entertainment centres in the US are fuelling the company’s future growth plans.
Based in Dallas, Texas, Main Event is one of the largest operators of indoor FECs in the south-west, with locations boasting games arcades, tenpin bowling, laser tag and other attractions.
For the first half of the 2014 financial year, Main Event recorded a 25.8 per cent year-on-year increase in total revenues to US$40.3m, delivering EBITDA growth of 32.3 per cent. January saw this trend continue with revenues up 23.2 per cent for the month.
“This exceptional result has been driven by both strong constant centre performance, where earnings before property costs grew by 8.2 per cent and excellent results from new centres,” said Greg Shaw, group CEO. “Our management team has focused heavily upon the quality of customer experience, while expanding our product offer, particularly in the food and beverage category. This formula has delivered consistently strong results across all centres and provides the foundation for significant portfolio expansion across the US, the world’s largest leisure market.”
Main Event opened its first location outside of Texas in Tempe, Arizona in November, while a further six new sites have been secured as part of the company’s plans to grow its chain to 19 centres by the end of the 2015 financial year.
“Negotiations are also advancing on a further four sites for FY16 openings.”
