The owner of Browns and All Bar One pub and restaurant company Mitchells & Butlers has said its sales in recent weeks have been higher than before the coronavirus pandemic but warned of challenges ahead due to rising costs for staff and utilities.
The group also behind the chains O’Neills and Harvester said Brexit had compounded risks around the supply and cost of products as well as labour shortages as it reported pretax loss for the year of £42 million compared to £123 million the previous year
In the eight weeks since the end of its financial year on Sept. 30th, however, it said sales had climbed 2.7% on a like-for-like basis to surpass levels before the pandemic thanks to pent-up demand and lower taxes on some alcohol.
“Demand for our well-loved brands has been demonstrated by an encouraging return to sustained like-for-like sales growth since restrictions have been lifted, and we are confident in our ability to continue our recovery as a market-leading operator,” Chief Executive Phil Urban said.
