The number of people going to a Marston’s PLC (LSE:MARS) pub on Christmas day reached a record high to contribute to a strong festive period for the London-listed group.
Total sales were up 3.0% in the 16-week period to 18 January 2025, the pub group's first quarter, with like-for-like sales rising 2.0%.
There was growth from both food and drink sales, while LFL sales were hit by poor weather conditions in November and January, offset by the strong festive trading, where LFL sales frothed up 11.1% in the two weeks to 4 January.
Chief executive Justin Platt called it a "particularly strong key festive trading period" and a "solid first quarter" that left the group "well placed" to deliver full-year market expectations for a pre-tax profit of £68.3 million.
For the year ahead he highlighted Marston's refocused strategy of driving revenue growth through "event-driven marketing and the rollout of our differentiated pub formats".