A poor summer and a tough economic backdrop have been bad for many consumer-facing businesses, but the allure of a decent pint remains strong whatever the conditions.
That’s the conclusion from the latest figures from pubs group and brewer Marston’s.
It said today that sales in the year to September were 2.2% ahead of last year.
Marston’s, whose Pedigree is the official beer of the England cricket team, also gave evidence that the ale market is far from dead.
“Wet” sales were up by 2.1% compared with food sales growth of 2.4%. Ralph Findlay, chief executive, said: “We have been encouraged by the performance of all areas of our business this year despite the challenging consumer environment and the poor weather.”
The group has had its pubs estate and other properties revalued, resulting in a £163 million increase in the value of the managed estate.
Unfortunately, the value of the tenanted and franchised estate has reduced by £186 million, reflecting the lower multiples being achieved from the sale of tenanted pubs.
