M&B scores £39m from sale of Hollywood Bowl

The pubs company Mitchells & Butlers has jettisoned Hollywood Bowl from its portfolio of leisure venues, which includes the All Bar One and Browns brands.

The 24-strong tenpin bowling chain is being sold for £39m to AMF Bowling, which already owns 33 bowling alleys in the UK. The move follows M&B's sale of 52 budget hotels last month and is part of its plan to focus on food-led businesses. M&B will receive £27m for the Hollywood Bowl brand and business, and £12m for freehold properties.

AMF Bowling was spun out of the historic American company of the same name, which brought a mechanical revolution to tenpin bowling with their invention of the automatic pin-setter.