Pricing & demandThe Box Plymouth
The Box, Plymouth’s museum, art gallery and archive, said on 7 April 2026 that it had 356,000 visits in 2025/26, 18% above its 300,000 target and up 44% on the previous year, with nearly 1.4 million visits since it opened. Its Beryl Cook exhibition had 52,000 visitors with nine of its eighteen weeks left, of whom 55% came from Plymouth postcodes and 45% from elsewhere in the UK. The release is promotional and gives no ticket prices, income or costs.
Why might an exhibition draw so many visitors from outside the city, and what does that tell you about demand? Practise this in AO2 Application.
Interpreting accountsPlymouth Argyle
Swiss Ramble reported on 18 December 2024 that Plymouth Argyle’s revenue for 2023/24 was £25.6m against £14.7m, up 74%, with a pre-tax loss of £2.4m against £3.4m. Wages rose from £9.1m to £16.9m, up 85%, which is about 66% of turnover against about 62% by our arithmetic. The club itself reports record total income of £26.7m and the same £2.4m loss, so the two sources differ on income, probably because they define it differently. After relegation to League One, the Business Desk reported on 10 March 2026 that up to 20 roles were proposed for redundancy and the owner had lent £9.8m according to the accounts.
Wages rose faster than revenue. What happens to the wage ratio if broadcast income falls, and why does it matter? Step by step in AO3 Analysis.
Strategy & stakeholdersPlymouth Arena
In 2022 the venue then called Plymouth Pavilions said its ice rink would close permanently for financial reasons after the energy crisis, and a petition against the closure gathered over 600 signatures. On 20 January 2026 it rebranded as Plymouth Arena, with a stated aim of sustaining the venue over five years, and the former Fun Pool and Ice Rink site had closed and its land been released for sale. The venue opened in 1991 on the former Millbay station site, and the rebrand came alongside the city’s bid to be UK City of Culture in 2029. The sources give no financial figures, and the 2022 article is older.
Should a venue close a popular attraction such as an ice rink to cut energy costs and sell the land, and who gains or loses? A real judgement for AO4 Evaluation.
Plymouth’s economy in the classroom
The ONS gives Plymouth about 264,700 usual residents at the 2021 census for the local authority area, and Wikipedia’s table gives 264,695, although its infobox shows a conflicting 277,695 that appears to be an error. A museum, a football club and an arena give students real contexts for demand, accounts and strategy. We tie these themes to topics on the specification.
Sources: ONS, Plymouth census page; Wikipedia, Plymouth; The Box Plymouth, 7 April 2026; Swiss Ramble, 18 December 2024; Plymouth Argyle, 2023/24 accounts news; The Business Desk, 10 March 2026; Hello Rayo, 13 October 2022; Visit Plymouth, 20 January 2026; provider pages. The 66% and 62% figures are our arithmetic, the Argyle income figures differ by source, and the arena sources give no financial figures.
