Buzzworks has reported an 8.4% rise in revenue to £37.3m for the 53 weeks to 4 May 2025, as the family-led group continues to invest in its portfolio and gear up for its next phase of growth. The increase from £34.4m in the previous year highlights steady performance across the estate, despite ongoing cost pressures and a challenging trading environment for the sector.
Underlying EBITDA for the year stood at £3.32m, compared to £3.77m in FY24, a figure that benefited from insurance income. Over the same period, Buzzworks invested £2.4m into new openings and refurbishments, including Lido Musselburgh and a new Herringbone venue in Barnton, alongside upgrades at Lido Prestwick and The Longhouse in Kilmarnock.
June 2025 marked a major milestone for the business, with Managing Director Kenny Blair leading a management buyout backed by London-based Alchemy Partners. The partnership provides strategic and financial backing to accelerate expansion plans, including the addition of venues with accommodation.
“Growing revenue in the current business climate is a real credit to our teams and to the loyalty of our guests. We’ve continued to trade strongly while absorbing significant cost pressures,” said Kenny Blair, Managing Director of Buzzworks. “We’re operating against a tough backdrop in Scotland, from energy and labour increases to a non-domestic rates system that can disproportionately penalise hospitality businesses when they invest.”
He added, “Hospitality is a major economic contributor, supporting jobs, supply chains and thriving town centres. We want to strengthen the fabric of Scottish hospitality overall and help make our country an even better place to visit. To do this, we urgently need a rates approach that properly recognises that value and supports investment in our industry, rather than holding it back as it currently does.
“Looking ahead, the investment from Alchemy Partners is a major catalyst for our next phase. This inward investment into Scotland gives us the backing to move further, faster, enhancing our estate, strengthening our platform and accelerating expansion, including venues with accommodation.”
Buzzworks now operates 22 venues across Scotland, employing over 800 people and trading under a number of brands including Scotts, Lido, House, Vic’s & The Vine, The Duke, Thirty Knots, The Bridge Inn, The Fox and Herringbone.
The group became Scotland’s first multi-venue hospitality company to achieve B Corp certification and was once again listed among the Top 100 Best Companies to Work For in the UK.