Bad weather sees Goals Soccer hit by £500,000 sales penalty

The Beast from the East bad weather spell cost five-a-side operator Goals Soccer Centres £500,000 in lost sales, the firm told investors at its annual general meeting yesterday.

The heavy snowfall saw overall like-for-like sales at the East Kilbride-based firm fall by 1.9 per cent in the first 18 weeks of the year. However, the group said that its investment in improving facilities was paying dividends as underlying sales excluding the weather impact had risen by 2.3 per cent

The firm plans to invest a further £3 million this summer to refurbish 90 pitches at 18 of its clubs. Michael Bolingbroke, interim chairman, said 2017 had been an important year for “rebuilding and refocusing” the company after a new strategy was put in place in 2016.

“Our arena modernisation programme is well advanced, with 53 per cent of our estate now upgraded, reducing our average pitch age from seven years before the upgrade works commenced to a current average age of 4.1 years,” he said,

He said the company was continuing to make positive progress in the US, with a third club opening in Los Angeles in January and construction of a fourth in the States beginning earlier this week. Further sites are under negotiation.

Andyanson,aformerexecutive at The Walt Disney Company and at Manchester United, joined Goals as chief executive in April. 0 Andy Anson – new CEO now in place at five-a-side business