Restaurants report a merry Christmas…

A flurry of trading statements from restaurant chains suggests the catering industry had a much more profitable Christmas than the retail sector.

City Centre Restaurants, Ask Central, Domino's Pizza, and Urbium, the group that owns Tiger Tiger as well as London venues Sugar Reef and Red Cube, all reported strong increases in takings throughout December, while Six Continents' pubs and restaurants division also upped its takings and profits on the previous year.

But restaurateurs were unwilling to be bullish about trading into the new year. Martin Eckersley, finance director at Ask, said: "I just don't know what's going to happen this year. The first week in January was strong, but the second is likely to have been poor. The second week in January is always the quietest week of the year."

City Centre Restaurant chairman Alan Jackson was more upbeat. "Garfunkel's is doing terrifically well, showing double-digit like-for-like growth. Frankie & Benny's is doing astonishing trade, with strong like-for-like growth."

The country's top restaurants also reported a good Christmas.

Takings at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's were 24% higher, while P«etrus and the flagship restaurant in Royal Hospital Road both enjoyed 10% increases in December's turnover compared with 2001. Nigel Platts-Martin's four London restaurants also reported business well up on last year.

Pub group JD Wetherspoon also reported increased business over Christmas compared with the year before. Like-for-like sales in the six weeks to 5 January were 4.2% up, while overall sales increased by 22% to £86.9m.

Sales for the 23 weeks to 5 January were £311.8m, 22% ahead of the same period last year.