Characteristics of the playground and recreational and sports equipment sector

The activity of installing and maintaining playgrounds and recreational and sports equipment is closely linked to the accounting and tax particularities of the construction sector when the equipment or assembly supplied cannot be dismantled without being damaged. Monitoring the evolution of the working capital requirement (WCR), particularly outstanding receivables, is critical when local authorities constitute a significant part of your turnover. As a manager, you are involved daily in managing your business, preparing responses to calls for tenders, monitoring construction sites, managing customer relationships, and addressing risks inherent in your activity.

Whether your business is a family-owned enterprise, a subsidiary of foreign groups, or a target of a Leveraged Buyout (LBO), your entity has specific issues related to your financial structure and shareholding..

The sector of the installation of playground equipment and sports facilities, playgrounds and the manufacture of soft ground  covering is subject to some tax complexities, particularly in terms of VAT. Depending on the nature of the work carried out, the installtion of the playground equipment on the ground and the possibility of removing them or not without altering the foundations, the installations may be considered as real property under European law. VAT is then payable upon collections and the reverse charge mechanism for VAT applies when the work is carried out by a subcontractor on behalf of a VAT-registered contractor. The portion of sales of games and installation services needs to be identified when the installation is not considered as real estate by nature in order to deduct the VAT liability event.

Based on our knowledge of your sector of activity as chartered accountant, we anticipate your needs and are responsive in informing you about changes in social and tax regulations that concern you, in order to implement appropriate solutions.

Our firm also has audit mandates in significant-sized companies operating in the playground and sports equipment sector.

We conduct thorough work based on your analytical accounting to ensure consistency of margin by activity.

The tools used to produce financial information shoud enable a sufficiently detailed analysis to understand the composition of the cost price and the evolution of the gross margin. Regular reporting or intermediate statements can be useful for financial supervision.

In accounting expertise or statutory auditing, a wide range of skills at the service of your recreational and sports equipment installation company

Beyond our mission of bookkeeping or accounting review, as a chartered accountant, we provide personalized service, we anticipate your needs and keep you informed of evolutions of the social and fiscal regulations that may concern you, in order to implement tailored solutions.

As a statutory auditor, we adopt a constructive and flexible approach, relying on the substantive tests but also and above all on the review of your various processes, in collaboration with your teams, in order to build a relationship of trust with them and provide recommendations for continuous improvement of these processes.

The growth of our firm in the areas of accounting expertise and statutory auditing is based on the technical support of a versatile and regularly trained team, as well as the proximity and availability of our chartered accountants and statutory auditors, available and listening to you whenever you need.

Comprehensive support of the company and its managers as a chartered accountant of your company specializing in the installation and maintenance of playgrounds and recreational and sports equipment

Accountancy management

Our mission of accounting bookkeeping or  for Building and Public Works companies primarily involves providing support to:

  • Create or take over a company of recreational and sports equipment.
  • Secure your margins through regular and accurate accounting monitoring.
  • Analyze your performance by implementing analytical accounting if necessary.
  • Optimize your financial resources, especially your external financing.

To ensure the reliability of the established financial information, we assist you in implementing an effective internal control system and provide you with the tools adapted to margin monitoring by activity.

If your installation and maintenance of recreational and sports equipment company is a subsidiary of a foreign group or a company owned by venture capital companies, as chartered accountant, we produce periodic reports for the fund providers.

Tax management

We handle the preparation of recurring and occasional tax returns. We assess your eligibility for tax credits that may be applcable to your recreational and sports equipment business. We provide support during tax audits and keep you updated on changes in tax legislation during different Finance Laws.

Social management

On the social level, Houdart A&C has a good knowledge of most collective agreements applicable to the activities of installation of playgrounds, sale and maintenance of recreational and sports equipment, due to numerous companies operating in this field among our clientele.

We process payroll for employees of our clients in this sector of activity, we assist you with URSSAF controls, we establish the DSN andcan handle the salary payments for your employees.

We take care of the affiliation to the competent provident organizations according to the business sector of your company.

We advise you in case of litigation with one or more employees and put you in touch with a lawyer whom we are ready to recommend in case of a labour dispute.

Legal Assistance

Our legal service offers you in the current and extraordinary legal missions of the life of a company. We are also available to provide any advice that you, as the manager of a company that sells recreational and sports equipment or provides maintenance and installation services for playgrounds, may need in the course of conducting your business.

Our legal mission includes : the annual legal secretarial duties, the drafting of certain documents, the drafting of minutes of ordinary and extraordinary general meetings, convocations, statutory amendments (such as transfer of the company’s registered office, company name changes, etc.), formalities with the clerk’s office of the competent commercial court, and more.

Finally, we assist you in carrying out the operations of contributions, transformation, merger and demerger of companies.

Due diligence

When an external growth opportunity arises, we are able to carry out an acquisition audit of the target company, either as a consultant or as an auditor, prior to your decision-making process.

Accompanying the leaders

Our mission is not limited to the establishment of your company’s financial statements. For our family-owned business clients, we assist the company director on matters of patrimonial management so that his decisions related to the business which may impact both the director’s assets and those of their family, are optimized for their overall benefit..

The diversity of our skills allows us to assist you primarily with your personal tax returns. We draw up your income tax returns in France, as well as your potential real estate wealth tax

We assist you in the choice of your individual and group health and heavy loss coverage insurance contracts.

We check that the formalities for setting up contracts cover the risk of tax and social security adjustments.

If necessary, we assist you in the context of your personal tax controls.

Acquiring real estate for one’s business is often an interesting way for business owners to reconcile the interests of their business with the development of their personal assets.

We are by the side of the company manager from the initiation of the project, the decision to invest in real estate, the choice of investment structuring, until the preparation of the necessary documents for obtaining funds from financing organizations..

We have a significant network of professionals specialized in insurance brokerage, notary services, and lawyer experts in social or tax matters, that we can mobilize to complete our support.

Finally, we can work with you and our clients to study the different possibilities of social security and remuneration schemes in order to optimize the tax and social security remuneration of the manager of a company selling and installing playgrounds and sports equipment.

MyUnisoft, a digital, collaborative and innovative accounting software

In order to support the digitalization of our clients and our firm, we have adopted an innovative, high-performance, and collaborative accounting production tool, a true marketplace with an open API, to which most of the current applications used by entrepreneurs can be connecteds, such as digital neo-banks, turnover tracking tools, GED, CRM, data analysis, or payroll software.

Thanks to agreements with most banking institutions, we can set up with your bank an automatic recovery of your banking flows in EBICS format.

We can provide your accounting teams with our software in order to collaborate on your financial data in real-time. We can also fully handle your bookkeeping if you do not have an in-house accounting service.

Common questions related to the playground, recreational and sports equipment sector

Is the installation of playgrounds and recreational and sports equipment subject to the self-liquidation VAT mechanism for subcontractors on work related to a building?

If the company does not deliver the equipment as is, and the installation includes works such as excavation, concrete foundations, and impact-absorbing surfacing, and the equipment cannot be dismantled and moved without significant damage, the works involved in the construction of recreational or sports playgrounds may be considered as real estate according to European law. The reverse charge mechanism for VAT on work related to a building carried out by a subcontractor is then applicable.

Is it necessary to keep analytical accounting in a company involved in the development and installation of playgrounds and sports facilities?

Analytical accounting makes it possible to allocate  the company’s products and expenses by function or work site, whereas general accounting is based on classification by nature. This allows  to transcribe the result by site or by type of activity by allocating products as well as purchases of materials, direct and indirect labor costs, whether the result is recognized by progress or completion.

Analytical accounting is a fine tool for economic monitoring and management of the company, but it requires implementation and ongoing monitoring, as well as the implementation of an appropriate ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software.

What are the collective agreements applicable to companies that develop playgrounds and sports facilities?

A thorough analysis of the specific nature of the company’s activities is essential to accurately determine the applicable collective agreement. As a general guideline:

  • If the primary focus of the company lies in the sale of playground and sports equipment, the relevant collective agreement would be that of wholesale trade (IDCC 0573).
  • In cases where the company is predominantly involved in the manufacturing of playground or sports equipment, the applicable collective agreement could be related to the wood-based panel industry (IDCC 2089), the metallurgy industry (single agreement applicable from January 1, 2024), or the plastics industry (IDCC 292).
  • For companies primarily engaged in the installation and layout of playgrounds, including the construction of flooring, foundations, and equipment, the applicable collective agreements are found within the realm of public works (IDCC 1702, 2614, and 3212).

Why use a specialized firm for playground and recreational and sports equipment businesses?

Our proficiency in the intricacies of your industry, whether your business is production-oriented or service-focused, especially concerning taxation, empowers us to proactively anticipate associated risks. Our commitment extends to ensuring adherence to social regulations, collective agreements, and offering guidance to business owners in navigating labor disputes when necessary.

Moreover, we actively contribute to enhancing the efficiency and timeliness of financial statements and interim reports by aiding in the implementation of streamlined processes. This strategic support allows company managers to concentrate on the digitization of their operations and the pursuit of productivity and quality in both products and services.