Festive like-for-likes up 6.1%Year-to-date sales up 4%£60 million extra labour costs expectedPubs group JD Wetherspoon (JDW) reported strong trading over the festive season with like-for-like sales up 6.1% over the three weeks between 16 December 2024 to 5 January 2025.In the last 12-weeks, representing Wetherspoon's financial second quarter, like-for-like sales growth slowed to 4.6% compared wit

Strong festive tradingLike-for-like sales up 11.6%Confident outlook statementPremium pubs and rooms operator Young & Co (YNGA:AIM) said it traded 'exceptionally well' over the Christmas and New Year period with like-for-like sales for the five weeks to 13 January up 11.6%.Total managed sales ticked up 30.4% reflecting a contribution from City Pubs, which was acquired in March 2024.Investors were s

M&B sales up 10.4% over core festive periodFuller's sales up 10.2% over last five weeksBoth groups express caution on costsShares in Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) were up over 4% to 238.50p in morning trading as the All Bar One owner said the business traded 'very strongly' across the festive season with like-for-like growth of 10.4% over the core three-week period.Across the first quarter, Mitchells

Strong full year profit recoveryNet debt reduced by £197 millionNI change raises costs by £100 millionPub group Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) served up better than expected full-year sales and profit growth and said the business had made a strong start to the new financial year with like-for-like sales up 4% in the first seven weeks.Investors cautiously welcomed the results with the shares trading u

Retail and hospitality companies have slammed the UK government's Budget as a raid on corporate coffers that will heap extra costs on already hard-pressed sectors, with Labour's 6.7% increase in the National Living Wage and uplift in employers' national insurance contributions (NICs) forecast to lead to job cuts and price hikes.Chancellor Rachel Reeves' lowering of the employers' NIC threshold to

Personal thresholds to rise from 2028Capital gains and carried interest tax to riseEmployers' NI bill to rise significantlyIn terms of lowering expectations among the business community, the Labour party did a good job heading into today's autumn statement by letting slip potentially negative information such as the intention to raise employers' NI (National Insurance) contributions and a hike in

Pub group JD Wetherspoon (JDW) is due to reveal full-year results on 4 October. These are expected to be in line with market expectations according to a pre-close trading statement on 10 July.Consensus expectations are calling for sales just north of £2 billion for the first time and a pre-tax profit of £72 million, representing year-on-year growth of 5% and 67% respectively.While achieving reco

Robust trading ahead of marketFull-year results ahead of expectationsEarnings upgradesPubs group Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) continued to grow sales ahead of the market in the fourth quarter despite an easing inflationary backdrop, unseasonably cool weather and disruption cased by the summer riots.The All Bar One and Toby Carvery operator said robust trading and a reduction in net cost headwinds to

First half like-for-like sales up 7%Momentum continues into second halfFull year profit expected to be at top end of expectationsPubs group Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) smashed first half sales and profit forecasts and said the full year was likely to be at the top end of expectations, sending shares in the All-Bar-One and Toby carvery operator to the top of the FTSE mid-cap leaderboard, gaining as m

The unveiling of a new British ISA helped give domestic stocks a modest lift after its announcement in the Budget.The £5,000 limit on the new tax wrapper, which can only be invested in UK assets, will be in addition to the existing £20,000 ISA allowance.The key test will be whether this provides a meaningful boost in terms of flows into UK equities and helps improve what has been a very difficul

The FTSE 100 fell into the red in afternoon trade, as housebuilding stocks fell again, while Imperial Brands slid on a report that the UK government is sizing up a tax on vaping products.Mainland European equities ended higher, meanwhile, though stocks in New York were mixed on underwhelming US data.The FTSE 100 index ended down 1.28 points at 7,683.02. The FTSE 250 rose 36.74 points, 0.2%, at 19,

December like-for-like sales up 15.2%, year to date 8.4% aheadFull year outcome expected to be inline with expectationsWages and energy costs remain key challenge across the industryPubs group JD Wetherspoon (JDW) continued its slow and steady recovery from the pandemic putting up a good festive performance as like-for-like sales increased 15.2% in December compared with 8.8% for the market.For th

Robust trading continued in Q1Record Christmas day salesPBT to be towards top end of expectationsAll Bar One-to-Toby Carvery owner Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) expects pre-tax profits for the year to September 2024 will come in towards the top end of consensus estimates after sales picked up over Christmas with a boost from the return of work parties and festive gatherings.The pubs company, whose bra

Nasdaq ends 2023 with best performance in 20 yearsS&P 500 ends the year up 24%Goldman Sachs predicts 8% rise in S&P 500US markets are expected to start 2024 on a positive note on 2 January after closing on Christmas Day and New Year?s Day only.The tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the year with one of its best performances in two decades ? up 44% to sit at the 15,011 mark as of 29 December 2023, and the S&P

The UK hospitality sector has been one of the biggest casualties of the pandemic and the slowest to rebound.Enforced closures during lockdowns, surging energy, labour and commodity prices post pandemic and ongoing train strikes mean hospitality has faced more than its fair share of obstacles over the last three years.The extra challenges mean hospitality has been slower than other sectors to regai

It has been an up and down year for the UK stock market but some names have really shone over the course of the last 12 months. In this article we go through the market cap ranks to identify the best performing large-, mid- and small-cap stocks in 2023.£5 billion+ market capWhile Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) has dominated headlines globally as excitement around AI (artificial intelligence) helped drive i

Full year sales and profit ahead of expectationsStrong like-for-like sales growth continues after year-endCost headwinds expected to fall in year aheadNobody likes a flat beer but that sums up the market?s reaction to Mitchells & Butlers? (MAB) better than expected full year results after the shares retreated almost 7% to 226.6p.Still, even after today?s fall the shares are 56% higher than where t

Private equity firm Apollo succeeding with its takeover of Restaurant Group (RTN) would represent a major turning point for the UK stock market. It would mean investors could no longer access a high street-focused casual dining chain operator on the London Stock Exchange of any scale.Restaurant Group's primary asset is Wagamama, a 165-strong nationwide chain offering Asian-style food. Investing in

Given the positive summer trading updates from UK hospitality firms such as JD Wetherspoon (JDW), Marston's (MARS) and Mitchells & Butler (MAB), expectations are fairly high for Beefeater, Brewers' Fayre and Premier Inn owner Whitbread (WTB) when it reports first-half earnings on 18 October.In the first quarter to the start of June, Premier Inn accommodation sales were up 18% on last year while Re

Like-for-like sales acceleratingCosts 'at low end of range'Hospitality operators upbeatAll Bar One owner Mitchells & Butler (MAB) pleased the market with its final update for the year to 23 Sept which showed sales up over 10% on a total basis thanks to a strong second half.The shares gained as much as 3.7% in early trading to 222.6p before settling back to 218.2p for a gain of 1.7%, while shares i