Fuller Smith & Turner Share News (FSTA)

(Sharecast News) - Pub chain Fuller, Smith & Turner backed its full-year expectations on Thursday as it hailed "particularly strong" sales over Christmas and the new year.

The company said sales in the five-week Christmas and New Year period were up 21.6% versus the same period a year earlier, driven by a "great" performance from the pub and hotel teams.

In the 42 weeks to 20 January 2024, like-for-like sales were up 11.5%.

Chief executive Simon Emeny said: "I am delighted to see the business continue to deliver strong sales growth.

"The business is in great shape. While we continue to see the impact of a challenging economic environment, we are positive about the future and confident of meeting market expectations for the full year.

"Looking forward, while we face significant rises in the National Living Wage and business rates, we have exciting plans in place to grow the business. These include a number of high profile, trade-enhancing investment schemes in our existing estate, which will ensure we continue to build on our current momentum."

The company's' full-year results are due in June.