September 24, 2010: Arsenal Announce Large Profit for Previous Season Due to Construction Activities

Arsenal announces record pre-tax profits of £56m for the 2009-2010 season, although a large amount of the club’s revenues was generated by the club’s property development side. Turnover increased to a record £379.9m from £313.3m, although the club’s overall turnover from its football business was marginally down, owing to five fewer home cup matches, as well as reduced income from merchandising and catering. The wage bill increased from £104m to £110.7m and is now around 50 per cent of non-property income. The club says that the business’s property arm, the Highbury Square development, is debt free and making money. The sale of 362 apartments at Highbury Square and the social housing at Queensland Road, developments that were part of the recent move to a new stadium, generated revenues of £156.9m and allowed Arsenal to repay in full the £129.6m in bank loans taken to fund the construction. The group’s overall net debt was reduced from £297.7m to £135.6m. [Guardian, 9/24/2010] Arsenal is one of only four Premier League clubs to make a profit for the 2009-2010 season, when the clubs’ losses totalled £484m. [Guardian, 5/19/2011]