Warhammer figurine maker Games Workshop has handed over £18m in cash payments to its employees after it reported a strong year of sales and profits.
The Nottingham-based company said it distributed the money “on an equal basis to each member of staff” in recognition of their contribution to its financial performance.
Last year the company awarded group profit share payments of £11m to its workers.
More than 1,500 staff work at Games Workshop’s global headquarters in the UK, with thousands more based in offices and more than 500 stores globally. The firm said it estimates pre-tax profit for the year to 2 June to be at least £200m, compared with £171m a year ago.
On its website the company states: “Our teams are made up of diverse individuals with varying skill sets and backgrounds brought together by a common set of shared values. We put people first and invest in them for the long-term. We have a strong culture at Games Workshop. Our remarkable people work hard, support one another and strive for quality above all else.”
Last Christmas, Games Workshop handed its shop workers, model makers, designers and support staff a £2,500 bonus, £1,000 more than 2022, after half-year profits rose more than 12%. This led to a £7.5m bonus pool as opposed to £4.5m in 2022.
Games Workshop, which runs about 530 stores, said it was increasing the bonus as it expected half-year profits to be at least £94m as sales rose 9% to £247m. There was strong growth in its core gaming sales but a drop in licensing income.
The company has a deal in place with Amazon to make films and television shows based on its fantasy games. These will create new revenue streams by attracting more players.
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Games Workshop was founded four decades ago by three friends who made wooden board games in their homes. The company secured the European distribution rights to the role-playing game Dungeon & Dragons and opened its first shop in Hammersmith, west London, in 1978. Its big breakthrough came in 1983 when its game designers came up with Warhammer, which is now the most popular miniature war game in the world.
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