Sun shines on Mark Warner despite fall in passenger numbers

SUN and ski travel operator Mark Warner was hit by a double whammy of poor snow in the mountains and the refugee and economic crisis in the Mediterranean, but managed to boost profits due to a focus on costs and refusing to discount.

Directors at the company said that turnover for the year to October 31, 2015 was ‘static’ at £42.3 million, but that profits were up from £106,000 to £670,000.

In its accounts just filed, the firm said: ‘The turbulent socioeconomic situation in Greece and Turkey led to challenging trading conditions for the group this financial year. However, the decision not to chase high volumes of passengers and turnover and instead focus on maintaining selling prices garnered a strong performance. This decline in passenger numbers enabled the group to mitigate costs and drive improvement in gross profit.’

It added: ‘The poor snow conditions, regrettably well publicised in the media, meant the 2015/16 winter season experienced a challenging start.’

Mark Warner suspended its Turkish holidays due to concerns over the volatile situation, but said that Greece and the Western Mediterranean were performing strongly.

While the firm is known for its family-friendly holidays, about 40 per cent of its business comes from singles, groups of friends, and couples.