Hot weather brings good news for JD Wetherspoon

Pub company JD Wetherspoon has enjoyed a strong final quarter's trading thanks to the hot weather.

In the 12 weeks to 6 July like-for-like sales increased by 5.1%. For the year to date this represents a like-for-like sales increase of 2%.

Analysts had hailed the company's third-quarter figures released in April as demonstrating a successful turn around at the business, which had been suffering stagnant sales growth increasing cost pressures.

Although the management team at Wetherspoon's had been cautious about the effect of the summer's World Cup, their decision to install sets in many of the traditionally TV-free pubs seems to have paid off.

Wetherspoon's total company sales increased by 5% to £197.5m in the fourth quarter, and they now stand at £813.1m for the year, 2.3% higher than 12 months ago.

It expects to open nine pubs in its current financial year and a slightly increased amount in the 12 months after.

After a bright start, Wetherspoon's Scottish pubs have seen like-for-like sales slip 0.3% in the 12 weeks after the first month of the smoking ban.

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