Healthy lifestyle-focused, Bridge of Allan-based Castle View Corporate Holdings ups FY sales and profit, but warns over high-cost outlook

Leisure-focused group expects cost pressures to gain speed, but expresses confidence in ability to withstand shocks.

The group's activity includes sports centre management. Picture: contributed.

A Bridge of Allan-based group whose remit encompasses sports facilities and food production has upped annual turnover and profit – but said it expects the forthcoming year to remain “challenging” due to factors such as increased staff and energy costs.

Castle View Corporate Holdings (CVCH) has revealed an 11 per cent increase in turnover to £274.2 million for the year to March 31, 2023, while pre-tax profits rose to £19.7m from last year’s £14.8m.

Martin Bell, MD of the group, whose interests span sports centre management, public health and lifestyle services for local authorities, and food production, said: “We are satisfied with the performance for the year, which saw a continued focus on rebuilding the membership numbers and customer usage levels at our principal subsidiary Sports and Leisure Management Limited (SLM).” That unit on March 31, 2023, operated 209 leisure facilities in England and Wales, with 11 sites, including two theatres, opening during the year.

Bell added: “In the previous year, the business had been in recovery following the pandemic. In this year, by contrast, we have supported our health-related businesses with a capital investment of over £13m, most of it in new exercise and activity equipment to maintain and enhance the facilities we manage. While the public health market continues to be challenging, the board is satisfied with the performance this year of our subsidiary Everyone Health, which focuses on public health and lifestyle services for local authorities.”

CVCH also said another of its divisions, Cambuslang-based UIN Foods, saw a “significant” increase in sales volume across the full product portfolio, which generated additional turnover of £4.3m, taking the annual total up to £12.8m.

Bell added: “Overall, we believe, the forthcoming year will continue to be challenging with high inflation, cost-of-living, energy prices and wider supply-chain pressures posing a significant cost to the business. We are confident, however, that by ensuring expenditure is tightly controlled, the company will continue to trade successfully for the foreseeable future. As a group, current year business is brisk, and our strong balance sheet gives us the confidence to meet any new challenges which may arise.”