JD Wetherspoon posted a trading update which showed like-for-like sales increased by 5.1% on-year in its fourth quarter that ended July 20, with year-to-date sales also up 5.1%. The pubs operator said the rise was a result of favourable weather and came despite the high tax and labour increases for the hospitality industry. Looking ahead, the FTSE 250-listed firm highlighted plans to invest in areas such as staff rooms, glass racks and gardens, and said it intends to open around 15 new managed pubs plus a further 15 franchised pubs. JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin noted that sales volumes, which were very slow post-pandemic, have recently overtaken pre-pandemic levels. JD Wetherspoon shares were up 0.5% in early trading.
Publishing and exhibitions group Informa upgraded its full-year guidance after reporting first-half results that showed revenue growth and strong forward visibility. The FTSE 100-listed firm saw its reported revenues grow by 20.1% in the six months ended 30 June, while adjusted operating profits rose 24% as operating margins increased from 27.5% to 28.4%. Informa said roughly £3.1 billion, representing 80% of 2025 revenue, was committed or visible through subscriptions, forward bookings and contracts, up from £2.7 billion at the same stage in 2024. Reported revenue guidance was maintained at more than £4.0 billion, while adjusted earnings growth guidance increased to more than 10%, despite further weakening of the US dollar. In early trading, Informa shares gained 4.0%.
Breedon Group delivered weak first-half results and said it now expects full-year results to be at the low end of its consensus range. For the six months to June 30, the construction materials group reported a 25% drop in pretax profit to £34.9 million as its operating costs increased by 8.5%. Revenue, on the other hand, rose by 6.7% to £815.9 million. The FTSE 250-listed firm raised its interim dividend to 4.75p per share, up from 4.50p a year earlier. Noting a difficult first half and macroeconomic headwinds, Breedon chief executive officer Rob Wood said the firm is confident in its medium-term prospects. Breedon shares fell 6.0% in early morning trading.
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