Mixed trading fortunes for Conran restaurants

Conran Holdings has reported a buoyant Christmas period but otherwise flat results for the year.

Chief executive Des Gunewardena said December sales at its most recently opened restaurants, including Plateau at Canary Wharf, the sites at the Royal Exchange and Meza and Floridita in Soho, were up 20% or more year on year. Overall restaurant sales in December rose 9% across the portfolio, with the Great Eastern hotel seeing an upsurge in sales of 8%.

Conran admitted the rest of the year was far tougher, with annual accounts for the year to 31 March showing sales totalling £108.3m (2003-04: £108.6m) and pre-tax profits of £2.6m (£1.2m).

Sales in the UK and Paris restaurants, which were impacted by the closure of Mezzo before its relaunch, were broadly static at £55m.