The street food and retail group, which operates several permanent venues across London and Liverpool, said in its latest financial results that such formats could benefit the business as they rarely require long-term lease commitments and provide greater operational flexibility.
It comes as Boxpark described its latest financial year as being defined by ‘sluggish economic environment and weaker consumer confidence’.
Despite challenges, the group grew revenue by just over 2% to £20.4m for the year ended 30 April 2025, up from £19.9m in 2024.
However, pre-tax losses rose by more than 200% over the period, increasing from £3.8m to £12m.
A strong start
The group said the financial year ‘began strongly’, benefiting from increased footfall during the men’s European football championship. A continued focus on experiential, footfall-driving events has also led to it introducing winter ice rinks and the development of a stand-alone competitive socialising offer.
Despite this, it said trading conditions became more challenging during the latter months of 2024 as consumer spending softened.
Over the year the group added to its estate with the launch of Camden Boxpark in September 2024. It also launched two concepts: Playbox Croydon, which opened in March 2025 and combines competitive socialising with live sport; and Boxhall City (pictured above), a premium food and beer hall located adjacent to Liverpool Street railway station in April 2025.
The launch of Boxhall City was supported by a further £6.5m investment from LDC, Boxpark’s principal investor.
Over the year the number of people employed by the business rose 23% as a result of the new openings.
The head office team was also strengthened with the appointment of former Gusto Italian leader Matt Snell as CEO (pictured below) and Chris Burford as CFO in January 2025.
Looking ahead, Boxpark is also continuing to explore opportunities to expand through new permanent sites, including a second Boxhall, which is set to launch later this year in Bristol.
Further events are also being organised to drive footfall including an all-night party for Super Bowl LX later this month and a series of Six Nations live screenings.
A year of ‘growth and challenges’
In a statement accompanying the results, Boxpark said: ”Boxpark has had a year of significant growth and real challenges in equal measure.
”We opened three new destinations, grew our team by 23%, and saw strong trading during major sporting events like the Euros. We are particularly proud that our expansion has created meaningful employment opportunities across London and grown our brand presence alongside introducing new brands to our portfolio.,
”Like so many hospitality businesses across the UK, we’ve felt the pressure of rising costs in a difficult economic climate. We’re not immune to these challenges, and they’ve impacted our bottom line.
”Looking ahead, we have the continued backing of our investors and clear plans to build on what’s working. The World Cup this summer presents a significant opportunity as does our event partnership with Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, delivering a Boxpark experience across that weekend.
“We are focussed on making our venues even stronger destinations for sport, food, and community as well as growing our event business.
“We’re realistic about the market conditions but energised by what we’re building and the teams delivering it across our locations.”