Young’s basks in sunshine with record half-year performance

Young’s has reported strong summer trading in its interim results, with drink sales up 6.5%, food up 3.8% and rooms up 4% for the 26 weeks ended 29 September 2025.  

Total revenue for the 277-strong pub group increased 5.4% to £263.6m.

Excellent weather over the spring and summer period helped the pub company deliver record profit for its first half, with total pub EBITDA up 4.9% to £77.4m, compared to £73.8m in 2024, while adjusted EBITDA rose 5.9% to £62.5m.

Meanwhile, adjusted operating profit was up 6.8% to £40.7m and operating margins remaining strong at 15.4% up from15.2% in 2024.

The group said it had its biggest Wimbledon fortnight ever, breaking numerous daily sales records across our six Wimbledon pubs. The Dog and Fox in the heart of Wimbledon Village delivered the highest ever weekly sales for a Young’s pub, beating its own previous record by 29%.

These strong sales across the period have helped the business weather the storm of costs hitting hospitality.

Additional costs impacting the business – including National Living Wage, National Insurance and food inflation – hit just over £4.7m for the first half of the financial year.

Chief executive, Simon Dodd, said: “I am delighted to announce another strong set of results, driven by our well-invested, premium managed house estate that continues to outperform the wider market. Our riverside locations, beautiful gardens and growing number of roof terraces meant the business benefitted from the fabulous spring and early summer weather.

“Operating margins remained under pressure during the period, due to the increased cost headwinds of National Living Wage, National Insurance and, more recently, food inflation. These headwinds have been offset by operational improvements and the underlying margin benefit generated by the integration of the City Pubs acquisition.”

The company said it had continued to invest in its estate with £12.6m spent in the six months, across bigger refurbishments and bedroom refreshes at its pubs with rooms. Average room rate for Young’s has increased by £5.13 with an increase in RevPar (revenue per available room) of £3.91 to £92.40.

Recent trading has been in line with expectations, including total sales for the last 13 weeks up around 4% on a like-for-like basis, boosted by Autumn Internationals.

Christmas bookings are looking strong with pre-booked sales up 22% on this time last year.

Looking ahead, Dodd added: “The second half has started well, but we remain mindful of ongoing economic uncertainty and its potential impact on consumer sentiment, and we will continue to monitor trading conditions closely. Despite everything we have faced in recent years, Young’s is well-positioned to continue to perform well financially thanks to the unparalleled quality of our estate and our resilient business model.”