Merlin Entertainments: General Discussion

[Tom]

Just for the nay sayers, regardless of how things are spun, the negatives are:

• Loss before tax of -£492m, an increase of -£278m on 2023.
• Operating loss of -£132m, a £304m negative swing on 2023's £172m operating profit.
• Revenue of £2057, a drop of £68m on 2023.
• Underlying profit of £285m, a drop of £123m from 2023.

By all measures, they are massively down on performance.

 

[Hid]

Just for the nay sayers, regardless of how things are spun, the negatives are:

• Loss before tax of -£492m, an increase of -£278m on 2023.
• Operating loss of -£132m, a £304m negative swing on 2023's £172m operating profit.
• Revenue of £2057, a drop of £68m on 2023.
• Underlying profit of £285m, a drop of £123m from 2023.

By all measures, they are massively down on performance.

Remember this is a business its not the same as your home life savings when they are down they still have cash to spare just have to be more strategic with it. Also the reason businesses release these is to try a get lower tax rates

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

By all measures, they are massively down on performance.

Apart from visitor numbers, where they are up 1.1%. Not all measures. Most, not all.

 

[Tom]

Apart from visitor numbers, where they are up 1.1%. Not all measures. Most, not all.

I'd argue that's the least relevant against a backdrop of the other figures. It's probably costing you more to maintain the parks.

 

[Jb85]

Remember this is a business its not the same as your home life savings when they are down they still have cash to spare just have to be more strategic with it. Also the reason businesses release these is to try a get lower tax rates

To try to get lower tax rates. Please do explain what you mean as your whole sentence makes no sense.

By the way - I am a chartered accountant…..

 

[Hid]

To try to get lower tax rates. Please do explain what you mean as your whole sentence makes no sense.

By the way - I am a chartered accountant…..

By releasing their figures and showing they are loosing money could help gain lower tax rates by going down in tax brackets

 

[Islander]

By releasing their figures and showing they are loosing money could help gain lower tax rates by going down in tax brackets

My guy, he’s literally just told you he’s a chartered accountant. Chances are he knows what he’s talking about… I’d stop digging

 

[Jb85]

By releasing their figures and showing they are loosing money could help gain lower tax rates by going down in tax brackets

Figures would be subject to audit anyway. You cannot just make a number up, present it and calculate tax. But anyhow a loss in itself wouldn’t lower the tax rates. You can carry forward a tax loss though into profitable periods. And even then there is far more going on than just tax rates.

What’s interested my though is as a % of revenue EBITDA return on resort theme parks is the lowest % in the group and gateway makes far more money - yet seems to be seeing the bigger cuts.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

I'd argue that's the least relevant against a backdrop of the other figures. It's probably costing you more to maintain the parks.

Agreed, but you did say against all measures. Visitor numbers is a measure and it is up.

 

[rob666]

Are visitor numbers inflated by cheap passes though...do they count every visit?
That would explain visitor numbers up...revenue down.
Love those cheap passes in the race to the bottom.