The Accounts daily brief — 25 May 2026

The Accounts · daily brief

Profit rises as headcount falls at Funky Monkeys

  • Turnover rose 6.6% while average headcount fell 6.5%
  • Staff cost per average employee rose 16.8% to £14.1k
  • Dividend raised 20% to £360k; cash up 34% to £1.8m

Funky Monkeys Playcentres Ltd [1]

NI602524 · Group

Productivity gain

Line FY25 FY24 YoY
Profit & loss
Turnover £17.6m £16.5m ▲ +7%
Gross profit £14.3m £13.4m ▲ +7%
Admin expenses £12.1m £13m ▼ −7%
Operating profit £2.2m £2m ▲ +10%
Finance costs £326k £468k ▼ −30%
Profit before tax £1.9m £1.6m ▲ +23%
Net profit £1.5m £1.3m ▲ +17%
Cash & balance sheet
Cash £1.8m £1.4m ▲ +34%
Net assets £4.8m £3.6m ▲ +31%
Dividends paid £360k £300k ▲ +20%
People & pay
Avg. headcount 400 428 ▼ −7%
Staff cost £5.7m £5.2m ▲ +9%
Director pay £329k £334k ▼ −1%
Highest-paid director £110k £111k ▼ −1%

The group behind the Funky Monkeys, Air-Tastic and Captain Greens indoor-play brands lifted turnover 6.6% to £17.6m. Staff cost per average employee rose 16.8% to £14.1k while average headcount fell 6.5% from 428 to 400, so revenue per head climbed roughly a seventh. The reported 10% rise in operating profit understates the core business: last year's £2.0m of operating profit included £1.6m of one-off other operating income, and excluding that, underlying trading profit rose from about £0.4m to £2.2m. Lower finance costs lifted pre-tax profit 23% to £1.9m, and the group raised its dividend 20% to £360k while cash grew to £1.8m; the auditor gave an unmodified opinion.

A tidy margin in the ball pit, and this year's profit is genuine trading where last year's leaned on a one-off.

  1. Funky Monkeys Playcentres Ltd (NI602524)