Wetherspoon upbeat on prospects
JD Wetherspoon has reported a drop in quarterly sales but says it remains confident on its full-year prospects.
The group, which manages about 700 pubs, says like for like sales for the 11 weeks to July 12 dipped 0.8% because of the boost a “major marketing campaign” gave to sales in the same period last year.
Despite the quarterly dip, like for like sales for the 50 weeks to July 12 are up 1.2%, the company says, adding it is “confident about the outlook for the current financial year.”
The pub group has benefited from its cut-price positioning, offering a range of drink and food promotions to consumers looking to cut costs during the economic downturn.
The company’s upbeat forecast defies the general malaise in a sector which has seen sales fall this year. According to the British Beer and Pub Association, pub beer sales dipped 6.3% in the first quarter of the year with total beer sales down 8.2%.
Yesterday (July 15), rival pub group Young’s also reported an increase in quarterly in sales, up 0.1% in its first quarter.
