Gauselmann annual report shows sales up 15.8%

The Gauselmann Group in Germany has enjoyed a fantastic 60th anniversary year with its annual report showing a sales increase of 15.8 percent to €2.93bn.

The increase in sales for the firm comes at a difficult time in its domestic market after a Federal Court decision in mid-2017 saw severe legal restrictions come into effect forcing many arcades to close.

The company’s chairman, Paul Gauselmann, said in the report that the “wholly disproportionate efforts to intensify the regulation of the German arcade market” were still problematic for the industry.

With inter-group sales removed from the figures, the operators sales total was up 18.5 percent to €2.04bn - an increase of €318m.

Investments for the year totaled €229m with the firm acquiring 120 arcades in Serbia and sports betting offices in it’s native Germany.

The report also stated that the operator expects the growth of foreign markets and the implementation of national regulations to play important parts in its business development throughout 2018. “Both the current Gaming Ordinance and the First Amended Interstate Gambling Treaty (GlüÄndStV) and follow-up regulations resulting from this still unclear regulatory framework play a role here.”