Olympic Games give boost to JD Wetherspoon after wet summer
PUB chain giant JD Wetherspoon yesterday said a boost from the Olympic and Paralympic Games had led sales to rise by 11.1 per cent in the 13 week period to 28 October.
The results suggested an upturn in the wider pub trade in late summer and early autumn, after wet weather in the previous quarter had dampened trade.
JD Wetherspoon added that it expects to open 25 pubs in the next nine months to add to its current 862.
With the effect of new pubs taken out, sales were up 7.7 per cent, the company said. The firm ran on an operating margin of 8.6 per cent, which was slightly lower than in the same period last year due to increased costs including tax rates and utilities.
However, it warned that it did not expect the level of growth to continue for the rest of the year, due to the one-off nature of the Games.