Expanding theme park group Merlin Entertainments saw 2013 pre-tax profits rise by £46 million to £186 million in the year it made its stock exchange debut.
Visitor numbers were up by 10.7% to almost 60 million at the company which runs attractions ranging from Thorpe Park and Alton Towers to Legoland and Sea Life Centres.
Group revenues rose over 10% to amost £1.2 billion.
The company recently confirmed a joint venture with DreamWorks Animation to develop Shrek-based attractions.
Accommodation will be added or extended at four theme parks this year and six new ‘midway’ attractions added.
“2014 should see another year of good underlying revenue and profit growth although the current strength of sterling may result in an adverse translational impact,” the company said.
Merlin expects global leisure spending to grow by approximately 5% a year through to 2016, driven by rising incomes and increasing leisure time.
Chief executive Nick Varney said:”Merlin Entertainments made further substantial progress in 2013.
“We delivered our 14th year of strong growth, with continued delivery from our existing estate, underpinned by the ongoing roll out of our unique portfolio of leisure brands internationally.
“With seven new attractions in 2013 we are making good progress towards our stated long-term aim of a geographically diversified business generating revenues equally across Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific.
“At the same time, we delivered on our long-standing objective of becoming a publicly quoted company.”
He added: “The flotation of Merlin has given us the platform for the next stage of our development and we are now better placed than ever before to continue to build this robust, diversified business, based on our iconic attractions and our determination to deliver memorable days out for our many millions of visitors in 22 countries, across four continents.
“The recent announcement of our agreement with DreamWorks to launch a new midway brand, Shrek’s Far Far Away Adventure, is a hugely exciting development and the start of what we hope will become a wider strategic partnership.
“Shrek is the most successful animated franchise of all time and we are delighted that we are going to add it to our portfolio of iconic international entertainment brands.
“Looking forwards, we are confident that our portfolio of attractions is well placed to take advantage of the world of opportunity ahead of us, with our pipeline of new business developments remaining as full as ever.
“We have multiple levers to drive growth and the right team in place to ensure continued delivery.”