Fair Pay & Worker Respect

The company's annual team wellbeing survey score was 5.29 out of 7 in FY2023, an increase from 4.9 out of 7 in FY2022.

It was ranked 12th in the UK’s ‘Best Big Companies to Work For’ in 2023 and 2024, and its Hemel Hempstead Support Centre achieved a 3* standard for workplace engagement. Average hourly pay for team members increased by over 9% in FY2023, and salaried team members saw a 9.2% increase in April FY2024. Over £1.0m was paid in centre-level management bonuses and £0.6m to hourly rate team members in FY2024, with more than 60% of hourly paid team members receiving performance-related bonuses. All 18-21 year olds are paid 20p above National Minimum/Living Wage after probation. The UK operation has a low staff turnover rate compared to the wider hospitality sector. In FY2024, 58% of management appointments were internal. The company provides an Employee Assistance Programme, has Mental Health First Aiders, and promotes diversity and inclusion.

Honest & Fair Business

All directors confirmed they had no conflicts of interest with the Group during the year.

The company's audit coverage extends to 96% of group profit before tax. However, the company reported two financial restatements, including a reclassification of £27,574,000 in the September 2021 Annual Report and a £5.6m retrospective VAT claim. A whistleblowing policy is in place, with all cases reported at every Board meeting. The Board maintains a zero-tolerance approach to bribery, corruption, and modern slavery, and reviews supplier and partner policies in these areas. No specific evidence was found for regulatory fines, transparency index scores, ESG controversy index, complaint resolution time, or the percentage of ethical claims verified by third parties.

Kind to Animals

Hollywood Bowl Group PLC operates a service-oriented business focused on ten-pin bowling and amusement arcades.

The provided articles contain no specific information or quantitative data regarding animal welfare, animal testing, animal-derived ingredients, or related policies and practices. Therefore, all KPIs related to "Kind to Animals" are assessed as not applicable (N/A) to the company's core operations based on the available evidence.

No War, No Weapons

Hollywood Bowl Group PLC operates ten-pin bowling and amusement arcades in the United Kingdom and Canada, with revenue derived from bowling, food and drink, and amusement machines.

The company's core business is leisure and entertainment. There is no evidence in the provided articles to suggest any involvement in arms manufacturing, military contracts, dual-use technologies, sales to embargoed regimes, or any other activities related to the defense or conflict industries. Therefore, all KPIs under the 'No War, No Weapons' value are deemed 'Not Applicable' to the company's operations.

Planet-Friendly Business

The company's total Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions for FY2024 were 61,433.59 tCO2e.

It has committed to SBTi and plans validation of 1.5°C pathway targets for FY2025. 100% of directly purchased electricity in the UK is from renewable sources, and 100% of Canada's directly purchased electricity will be from renewable sources starting October 1, 2024. The company also exports 1,311,379 kWh of electricity back to the grid from solar arrays. Water usage in the UK was 3.14 m³ per centre per day in FY2025. The company recycled 83.5% of its waste, with 100% diverted from landfill. All timber used for refurbishments and new builds is FSC accredited. The company has a goal to become a Net Zero business by 2050. TCFD aligned disclosures are included in the annual report, and climate scenario analysis was performed for the UK business in FY2022 and for Canadian climate risks in FY2024.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

The company operates over 70 bowling centers across the United Kingdom and Canada.

Despite operating in Canada, an area with indigenous populations, there is no evidence of formal partnership agreements with indigenous or local community groups. The company has a formal partnership with South Gloucestershire Council and with Macmillan Cancer Support, a national charity that facilitates local community meet-ups, but these are not explicitly defined as indigenous or local community groups in the context of the KPI's definition. There is no specific percentage of company revenue reinvested in local community development projects; while new centers create an investment value of approximately £3 million in the local economy, this is a general economic impact. The company has raised significant funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, including £322,570.11 since October 2023 and £174,000 in another period, but this is charitable giving to a health charity, not focused on cultural heritage or community development funds. There are no reported cultural appropriation incidents, and no specific cultural impact assessment protocol, cultural preservation funding, or cultural site protection measures are mentioned. While the company creates new jobs in local areas and 61% of management appointments are internal, there is no specific data on the proportion of the workforce recruited from local communities. An employee assistance programme is available, but no explicit community-specific grievance mechanisms or complaint resolution times are provided. FPIC processes, community governance inclusion, local procurement, indigenous supplier engagement, and language inclusivity are not mentioned. The company states it prioritizes positive community relations, but there is no evidence of a documented social license to operate for its facilities. Diversity workshops and general online development modules are mentioned, with 97% completion for the latter, but specific cultural sensitivity training completion rates are not provided.

Safe & Smart Tech

The company has achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification and PCI compliance across its payment channels.

98% of transactions operate in a PCI DSS secure environment. There are plans to address the remaining 2%. GDPR controls and documentation have been externally assessed and validated. All team members are required to complete GDPR awareness training. Payment systems use P2PE devices, and new e-commerce technology ensures no card data passes through group networks. Advanced data loss protection is in place to limit unauthorized data movements. Access to personal data is restricted to those with a business need. Secure two-factor authentication is used. Users have standard rights to access, correct, erase, restrict processing, and transfer their personal data. The company conducts quarterly vulnerability scanning and annual penetration testing. Personally identifiable data is retained for a maximum of 4 years after the last customer interaction, after which transactional data is anonymized.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

The company achieved 100% waste diversion from landfill in its UK operations in FY2024, with 82.9% of this waste being recycled.

In refurbishments, the company uses 100% recycled vinyl flooring. It reduced the amount of plastic in its food and drink packaging by over 61% compared to 2019. The company integrates circular design principles by adopting a re-use, re-cover, and recycle approach in refurbishments, including refurbishing lane furniture and Pins on Strings equipment. Waste reduction initiatives include linking waste management performance to team member bonus allocations, achieving 0.6% food and drink wastage as a percentage of revenue in FY2024, and removing 4,500 food and drink deliveries by consolidating suppliers. For hazardous waste management, grease traps have been installed in 84% of centers to reduce fats and grease in wastewater. The company has set targets to recycle 80% of UK waste by the end of 2025 with 100% diversion from landfill, and to achieve less than 1% food and drink wastage as a percentage of revenue by the end of 2025.