As profits soar at the €365million Center Parcs holiday resort in Longford, the Irish Daily Mail can reveal Ireland continues to be one of the most expensive resorts in its portfolio. The Irish arm of the business, Center Parcs Ireland Ltd, has notched up another record year since its launch in 2019. It has revealed this week that its average weekly revenues total €1.
85million, while its operating profits have increased by 9% to €29.4million. A statement attached to its group accounts says it traded ‘exceptionally well, delivering another year of record profits’.
The Irish Daily Mail compared the cost of a four-night stay in Center Parcs Longford Forest for a family of four, with one child aged under five and one aged between six and 17. Our online survey took September 16 as a starting date of, which was the first available date online as of last Friday. The accommodation proposed at the cheapest price available was a three-bedroom woodland lodge, described as being ‘practical and stylish – your family’s base for exploring the forest’.
The website continued: ‘This popular choice features stylish interior design, spacious openplan living, modern appliances and three bedrooms with crisp, white linen. Spot squirrels together from your own private patio or curl up on the sofas in front of the open fireplace.’ In Longford Forest, we were quoted €949.
This is more than double the lowest price for a three-bed cottage for the same family group, on the same September dates, in Erperheide, Belgium, which was €419, and in Les Hauts de Bruyeres, Loire, France, where the same cottage was available for €469. It cost €489 in De Huttenheugte, Netherlands. Similar three-bedroom woodland lodges for the same people, on the same date, cost £699 (€820) in Longleat Forest, Wiltshire, UK, and £559 (€656) in Sherwood Forest, also in the UK.
Sherwood Forest is the bestperforming Center Parcs in the group, recording revenues of £129.2million (€151m) based on its 4,806 capacity, which compares to Longford’s capacity of 2,736. Colin McKinlay, Centre Parcs’ chief executive, has justified the higher price charged in Ireland by saying market costs are different here – and that demand is significantly higher.
He told Newstalk this summer that Center Parcs prices are based on the ‘overall cost structure’ in each market, as well as ‘the demand that we have across the village’. He said: ‘Our village in Ireland is full every single day of the week. Our occupancy is over 99%.
Our level of repeat business is already over 60% – that’s higher, actually, than in other markets that we operate in. So, we think in our pricing, we’re being told by guests that we provide good value.’ Mr McKinlay said direct comparisons weren’t possible, as different factors were at play, such as school holiday dates, and different types of accommodation in Ireland.
‘The prices that we have reflect the demand that we have, and we have a very loyal customer base here,’ Mr McKinlay said. Accounts filed this week by Center Parcs Ireland Ltd show that revenues at the Co. Longford resort rose by 10.
6% from €87.4million to €96.7million in the 12 months to the end of April this year.
Pre-tax profits declined by 51% from €19.8million to €9.7million due to net finance expenses increasing by 170% from €7.
2million to €19.5million. The Irish arm achieved the increase in revenues and operating profits on the back of occupancy rates of 98.
7% compared to an average occupancy rate of 97% across the six village-strong Center Parcs UK and Ireland group. Next month, construction is due to begin on a €100million expansion in Longford, adding 198 lodges and luxury treehouses and boosting capacity to 3,500. The Longford resort helped the group to its best-ever Earnings Before Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) performance of £310.
5million (€364m) in its 37-year history..
