No droop for brewers

Pub company Greene King announced increased sales in both its managed and its leased and tenanted pubs at its annual general meeting last week. Chairman David McCall reported the group was trading to expectations across all areas of its business.

Like-for-like sales in Greene King's managed pubs were up by 3% in the first three months of the year, while average trading profit per pub rose by 5%. The company's tenanted and leased businesses also saw an increase in trading with turnover up by 5% and average trading profit by 9%.

Meanwhile, Scottish & Newcastle Breweries said trading for the first four months of the financial year was in line with expectations. Chairman Brian Stewart said the retail business had had a strong start, with sales up by more than 8% on last year.