MATCH Hospitality owner Byrom has reported losses of £9m year-on-year in 2020 due to COVID-19, but claims the fall has not been “materially significant.”
The group, which has the exclusive rights to ticket-inclusive hospitality packages for the FIFA World Cup, posted sales of £6.2m for the 12 months to September 30, 2020, a fall from £15.3m in 2019.
Byrom, whose MATCH divisions supply hospitality, tickets and accommodation for many major sporting events across the world, said the decline was due to 2019 revenue including accommodation and ticketing services for completed projects. It also noted that some revenue was lost due to event cancellations, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In its annual filing, Byrom said that the business made a pre-tax loss of £3m for the year, down from a profit of £331,674. Byrom also saw gross profit fall from £10.8m in 2019 to £6.2m in 2020 while its administrative expenses fell from £10.2m to £9.8m.
It added: “The sales impacted on the group was not materially significant. Operating expenses reduced to reflect the decreased commercial activity, but were kept at an appropriate level to ensure that the group can deliver its commercial objectives once travel and spectator restrictions are eased.”
Byrom and its MATCH divisions are currently working with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the British Grand Prix, The Open, The Ryder Cup and the ATP finals. The group has had ties with every World Cup going back to the USA 1994, as well as the European Championships in 2012.
The group’s companies include MATCH Hospitality AG, providing end-to-end hospitality programme management including commercial sales and event fulfilment; MATCH Services AG, the professional services company appointed by FIFA to provide ticketing services; MATCH Accommodation AG which provides event accommodation; and GTS Events Limited which operates both Ryder Cup Travel Services (RCTS) and ERC Rugby Travel providing accommodation and logistical support.
Image: Kremlin.ru / CC BY 4.0 / Edited for size
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