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The Compagnie des Alpes leisure parks recorded disappointing financial results during fiscal year 2012/2013 which ended on September 30. The French operator reported that sales of the activity was down 4.7% to stand at €282 million versus €296 million during the previous year.
Excluding scope effects due to the opening of the Grevin wax museum in Montreal (Canada), to the sale of Bioscope (France) and to the temporary closing the Dolfinarium for renovation during part of the year (The Netherlands), the sales decreased more precisely by 3.4%.
The decline in sales seen after the first nine months of the fiscal – a period marked by unusually adverse weather conditions – was not offset in the fourth quarter, despite the good performance of the parks during the summer season. As a result, the group's total attendance was down 7.5% on the full year. However, the average spending per visitor has shown again an encouraging increase: +2.8%.
An analysis of the Leisure park business reveals vastly different variations in sales. "Our regional leisure parks fared better than others by combining product differentiation with expert sales and marketing," stated the company. That was the case for example for Bellewaerde Park (+3.7% in sales) which introduced the new indoor family rollercoaster 'Huracan', for La Mer de Sable (+15%) which celebrated its 50th anniversary or for Walibi Belgium which enjoyed sales growth of 14% in August after the opening of the redesigned shuttle loop coaster 'Psyké Underground'.
In this context, Compagnie des Alpes says it is determined to pursue its strategic goals, with priority given to achieving profitable growth in Leisure parks. In the short term, the operator aims to step up investments to improve the image of the parks it considers priority. Product marketing and yield management will be boosted as needed, in line with current consumer trends. The ultimate goal is to have “highly satisfied” customers. Moreover the group seeks to reposition its leisure parks and restructure its portfolio in the medium term.
Compagnie des Alpes also has expressed its continued desire to identify new international growth
opportunities. Its target for rapid development of Grévin is on schedule, as is the continued growth in project management and operation of leisure parks located outside France like Sindibad in
Morocco.
The management activity of ski areas, which is the Compagnie des Alpes’ main business, performed a satisfactory season with a turnover up 3.7% that offset the decrease in activity of the parks. The group announced a total consolidated sales of €678 million for the full year 2012/2013, a stable result compared to the previous year (+0.05%). Full-year results will be published on December 19.
“In a context of increasingly selective consumer spending, Compagnie des Alpes has proven its ability to think ahead, make necessary changes, and break new ground,” said Dominique Marcel, the Group's CEO. “We aim to move faster, with more wide-reaching actions that will transform our Leisure parks division and ensure that it generates profitable growth over the medium term. CDA is very pleased with this year’s season for Ski areas. We intend to continue our unwavering pursuit of growth in this business, by making our products more appealing and by working harder to promote our destinations.”
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Our Theme Park Supplier's News of the Week is a round-up of the latest news relative to companies supplying the theme park industry around the world. This weekly report covers topics such as corporate announcements, financial ...
The NewsParcs' Theme Park Supplier's News of the Week is a round-up of the latest news relative to companies supplying the theme park industry around the world. This weekly report covers topics such as corporate announcements, ...
Our Industry Roundup is a summary of the latest major news related to the theme park industry worldwide. We report news specifically on operators, owners, trade associations and related organizations, including trends, attendance...