Thu 17th Jul 2025 - Center Parcs seeing growth across all areas of business as customer demand for premium experiences increases Center Parcs seeing growth across all areas of business as customer demand for premium experiences increases, reports record Ebitda of £319.5m: Center Parcs has said it is seeing growth across all areas of the business as customer demand for premium experiences increases. It comes as the group reported turnover increased 4.4% to £734.8m for the year ending 18 April 2025 compared with £704.4m the previous year. Ebitda was up to a record £319.5m from £310.5m the year before, “proving resilience of our premium offering despite challenging market conditions” Center Parcs said the performance was driven by guest loyalty, with 2.4 million visitors and 97.3% occupancy across its six villages. The group said guest repeat booking rates of 65% and our highest ever guest satisfaction scores of 89%. On-village spend per sleeper grew 5.4%, driven by strong consumer demand. The group made its highest ever capital investment of £96.3m, including commencement of leisure innovation rollout with eight new leisure activities introduced, including adventure nets at Longleat Forest and an “entertainment hive” at Woburn Forest, and a further seven activities to roll out in FY26. Center Parcs is expanding and innovating the food and beverage offer, including a new premium restaurant, The Dozing Duck at Sherwood Forest, which is set to be rolled out at other villages in the coming years. The group saw more than 20% volume growth in its Aqua Sana Forest Spa following investment over recent years, a brand refresh, and an upweighted new brand marketing campaign. Center Parcs said it is on track to reduce its carbon emissions by 30% by 2030 (from a baseline of 2020) and meet its target of sourcing 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. The group said 63% of accommodation has been sold for financial year 2026 at 3 July 2025. Both occupancy and average daily rate are ahead of the same time in the prior year. Planning permission has been submitted for its seventh UK and Ireland village, located in Scotland, near Hawick. The plans would see a £350m-£400m investment with annual capacity for 350,000 guests, expected to open in 2029. Chief executive Colin McKinlay said: “Our financial results reflect the strength and resilience of the Center Parcs brand, driven by investment, innovation and operational excellence, delivering outstanding guest service. The business continues to go from strength to strength, and we have again achieved our highest-ever Ebitda and guest satisfaction scores, driven by a loyal customer base. We have outperformed the market and maintained a 97.3% occupancy rate, despite challenging economic conditions. We are seeing growth across all areas of the business, including our core offering, spa experiences, guest spend, and accommodation. This year, we made our highest-ever investment of £96.3m to enhance product relevance and guest appeal and we are responding to increasing customer demand for premium experiences. This includes upgraded accommodation, new activities, and a premium restaurant offering. We continue to make excellent progress to meet the growing demand for Center Parcs short breaks. We have submitted planning permission for our seventh village, located in Scotland, and the expansion of our village in Ireland, which will increase capacity by 40%, is now in the building phase. Looking ahead, demand remains strong. Bookings for next year are already ahead, despite uncertain market conditions. We are increasing capacity to meet the demand and by 2026 we expect to have additional lodges across our villages. We also expect to launch our new premium accommodation offer at Sherwood Forest and Whinfell Forest, after a successful trial at Elveden Forest. We will continue to develop and innovate the guest experience on village, and we have recently launched our new standalone marketing campaign for Aqua Sana Forest Spa, with the ambition to triple our day visitor numbers, as well as achieving a 10% growth in revenue and Ebitda.” The 2025 Experiential Leisure Report, the second year of Propel’s exhaustive report on the fast-growing experiential leisure market, will be published on Friday, 1 August at 9am. The report profiles the current shape of the experiential leisure market – including brands, estate size, trading type and geographical location and future trends. It includes opinion from leading players Juliette Keyte, marketing director at Red Engine, Richard Beese, co-founder of We Do Play, and Lisa Boden, partner at investor Edition Capital, and provides a detailed list of UK experiential leisure companies including key staff and Companies House information. The report includes 197 companies, marking a 10% growth in the sector since last year’s study, with 3,700 sites. The report is available for £595 plus VAT to pre-order now. Existing Premium Club subscribers can receive it on Friday, 1 August for £395 plus VAT. The report will be made available for free to existing Premium subscribers on Wednesday, 10 September at 9am. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to order a copy.