Coronavirus: London enters tier 2 of lockdown as Marston’s announces job cuts
Businesses are concerned of the financial consequences of the new measures
Company
LON:MARS
Marston's PLC operates around 1,700 pubs and bars situated across Great Britain, comprising of leased and tenanted pubs, franchise opportunities and managed pubs at the heart of thriving local communities offering a welcoming environment and value for money.
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Businesses are concerned of the financial consequences of the new measures
The publican said the new three tier system of restrictions introduced by the UK government earlier this week have undermined consumer confidence and created uncertainty
Several industry member said there is no scientific evidence justifying closures and the 10pm curfew
The transaction will complete at the end of October after an investigation on fair competition
Profits are expected to be 75% lower than usual due to social distancing rules
“Our predominately freehold pub estate is less exposed than many of our peers to city centres where we believe the long-term impact of COVID-19 may be more pronounced,” the company said
The Wolverhampton-headquartered brewer said it will own 40% of the new venture and get a £273mln cash in return
The pub chain has agreed to borrow an additional £70mln through an increased 180-day bank facility, which coupled with government help and other assistance meant it will have enough cash until the end of the current financial year
The waiver applies to the publican's cessation covenant, which may be breached if its business is suspended for 30 days
The pubco grew total like-for-like sales 1% in the 16 weeks to 18 January
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“While consumer confidence has been boosted post the election, this may be a short-term relief as the trade negotiations start to take place”
The FTSE 250 publican reported an underlying pre-tax profit of £101mln, down from £104mln in 2018, which was blamed partly on tough comparatives from last year's hot summer and the World Cup
The brewer said it was focused on its objective of reducing net debt by £200mln by 2023 or earlier
In 2019, group turnover was up 3% to £1.2bn, with underlying earnings (EBITDA) broadly flat year-on-year and underlying profit before tax of around £101mln
The publican plans to defer £70mln of the new-build investment planned for the next three years and reallocate £20-30mln into the “organic” spending on pubs that was “generating significantly higher returns”
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The Conservative Party leadership contest was decided by a relatively convincing margin of 92,153 votes to 46,656, while Love Island commands consolidated viewing figures of more than 5mln
As investors have come to expect, sales are once again well up at the pubs group, but soaring costs mean annual profits will likely fall below what was achieved last year