Steady progress for Greene King

January 29, 2007: Greene King has reported trading "in line with expectations" for the 36-week period to January 7.

Pub Company total like-for-like sales were up 3.4%, while like-for-like turnover in Pub Partners rose 1.3%. The Brewing Company's own-brewed volume was in line with last year and total beer sales growth remained strong.

In this first winter of the Scottish smoking ban, high street pubs, and those with outside areas, have continued to do well, the company said. Food has grown strongly, while lliquor sales are down.

Belhaven retail sales were 2.8% below last year, but this remains better than Greene King's estimates at the time of the acquisition of the Scottish company. Belhaven Best volume rose by 4.7%.

"Integration of the Hardys & Hansons business, which we acquired in September, is complete, with synergy capture well on track," said a Greene King spokesman.