On October 31st ASPRO, Europe’s leading leisure park operator in number of centres, closed its 2007-2008 season with a 13% growth in income on last year’s figures, despite a season characterized by international economic turbulences which are affecting the behaviour of European consumers.
Several key factors contributed to achieve this figure: the acquisition of new centres during the 2008 season, the strong performance by the Group’s aquaria and also the favourable weather conditions in Spain and France during the peak months of the summer season.
With over 8 million visitors per year, ASPRO is currently present in eight European countries: Spain, France, Portugal, Belgium, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Holland and Finland, where the Company owns and manages 39 leisure centres under five categories: indoor and outdoor water parks, attraction parks, aquaria, marine zoos and zoological parks.
ASPRO’s growth-oriented strategy was once again stressed in 2008 with the acquisition, in April, of Britain’s Blue Reef Leisure and Oakwood Theme Park. Blue Reef Leisure operates in the UK four aquaria under the Blue Reef brand in Tynemouth, Porstmouth, Hastings and Newquay. Oakwood Theme Park, located in Pembrokeshire, Wales, is the largest theme park in Southwest Britain. Finally, in August 2008, ASPRO announced the acquisition of Deltapark Neeltje Jans, in the Zeeland region, Holland. These operations, which add six more all-year-round centres to the Group’s portfolio, are consistent with ASPRO’s geographical diversification strategy which proved very successful over the past few years.
ASPRO OCIO, a 100% Spanish-owned Company, was founded in Madrid in 1991 and operates, among others, fourteen water parks under the brand Aqualand in Spain, France and Portugal. Aqualand is the world’s largest brand in its category. In Spain, another one of the most popular centres is L’Aquàrium in Barcelona.
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