This considerable rise reflects more favourable operating conditions. During the prior-year period, all French casinos remained closed, as did many of the group’s properties elsewhere for most of the quarter.
However, casinos in France have since reopened, though for much of the period, continued to face health restrictions; chiefly, a vaccination pass.
This limited customers’ access to casinos, said the group, and consequently impacted attendance, which remained below pre-pandemic levels by almost 20%.
“While attendance is thus down compared to the second quarter of 2019,” stated Groupe Partouche, “the average basket increased by 20.8% to €89 on the same period.”
The operator added: “It should be noted that the drop in attendance has eased since the lifting of the vaccination pass.”
Most other metrics were also down from comparable pre-pandemic levels. For example, while turnover grew by more than 275% to €89m, it remains below the second quarter of fiscal year 2019 by 15%.
Nevertheless, Groupe Partouche is on the road to recovery. While the operator’s casino business has yet to meet or exceed pre-pandemic levels, the segment saw turnover rise year-on-year to over €81m.
Groupe Partouche’s hotel business, meanwhile, has outstripped its pre-Covid performance, reporting €5.1m in turnover for an approximately 219% increase over Q2 of fiscal year 2019.
All-in-all, the operator’s turnover for H1 of the current fiscal year amounts to €187m, a 297% increase over 2021, though again, below 2019’s figure by 15%.
