Serial entrepreneur Luke Johnson faced more woes on Thursday as the leisure group behind Brighton Pier, which he chairs, warned on profits.
AIM-listed Brighton Pier Group, which owns the grade II-listed pier as well a number of bars and golf sites, said full-year pre-tax profits are expected to be around 18% lower than the £3.8 million originally expected.
The pier division suffered in the half to December 31 from poor weather and because a number of trains to and from Brighton were disrupted by major engineering works.
The company said that the works “significantly impacted” the number of visitors to the seaside resort.
The shares fell 15p to 48p.
Chief executive Anne Ackord said: “Whilst I am disappointed at the rail network disruptions currently affecting the Pier, once they are complete, this will be of great benefit to future visitors travelling to the city and consequently to our Brighton businesses.”
It is the latest headache for Johnson, who is grappling with a crisis at Patisserie Valerie’s parent, which he also chairs.
The bakery chain last year revealed a £40 million black hole in its finances and saw the arrest of its former finance director.
