'Record revenues' of €2m a week at Ballymahon Center Parcs

by Gordon Deegan

The Center Parcs holiday resort in Ballymahon has this year recorded average weekly revenues of more than €2 million as operating profits increased by 4% to some €34.5 million.

In another record year for the business, new accounts filed by Center Parcs Ireland Ltd showed that revenues at the Longford resort rose by 4.45%, from €101m to to €105.5m, or €2.02m per week on average, in the 12 months to the end of April 23 this year.

Pre-tax profits increased by 57% from €11.1m to €17.4m after lower net finance expenses of €17m were taken into account.

The Center Parcs Irish business achieved the increase in revenues and operating profits on the back of record occupancy rates of 99% - up from occupancy rates of 97.6% in the year to the end of April 2025.

During the year, the company paid out dividends of €77.4m to parent firm, CP Bermuda Midco 1 Limited.

The directors stated that construction work was ongoing at year end on a €100 million expansion of the Ballymahon holiday village, with the addition of 198 lodges and luxury treehouses which will increase the resort’s capacity to around 3,500 guests.

The accounts show that the Irish business recorded an Earnings Before Tax Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) performance of €45.7m, compared to €42.8m in the 12 months to the end of April 2025.

Center Parcs opened its first forest resort in the UK in 1987, and opened Center Parcs Longford in 2019.

The directors’ report shows that operating profits increased as the Irish firm’s RevPAL (Rent per available lodge night) increased from €303.32 to €326.39 this year, while the Average Daily Rent (ADR) also increased sharply from €310.81 to €329.72.

The Irish company recorded a post-tax profit of €16.5m after incurring a corporation charge of €900,000.

The net cash generated from operating activities this year increased from €44m to €47.1m.

As part of the expansion of the resort, the firm incurred €45.4m cost on the purchase of property, plant and equipment.

The numbers employed at the Ballymahon resort this year decreased by seven, from 1,268 to 1,261, as staff costs increased slightly from €29.6m to €30.1m.

The workforce is made up of 628 people in leisure, retail, food and beverage, 556 in housekeeping, technical and estate services, and 77 in administration.

The operating profit of €34.5m this year takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of €11.2m.

Due to the dividend payout, the firm’s accumulated profits this year reduced from €78.7m to €17.8m at the end of April 23, 2026.

The firm’s cash funds decreased from €42.7m to €25.8m this year.

Center Parcs operates five UK Center Parcs Villages at Sherwood Forest, Elveden Forest, Longleat Forest, Whinfell Forest and Woburn Forest. Comparative RevPaL and ADR figures for the UK operation for this year are not yet available, as the UK group has yet to file accounts for this year.

The owner of Center Parcs is the Brookfield Corporation, which is based in Canada.