Greene King sees strong second half

In addition to the acquisition of a London-based pub operator, Greene King has confirmed a strong end to the year, with sales rising by 8.2% since week 35, the last week to have been affected by the winter weather.For the 51 weeks to 24 April, retail like-for-like (LfL) sales have grown 4.7%, with its largest retail brand, Hungry Horse, showing a LfL sales growth of 10.1%. The group expects full-year retail margins to be slightly ahead of the prior year. Food LfL sales have increased by 8.2%.Its brewing businesses have continued to outperform their markets, with the Brewing Company showing a 2% increase in total volume.Greene King also announced the acquisition of Realpubs for £53.1m. Realpubs currently operates 14 premium London pubs, "of which all but one are free hold, and their offer is a well developed and highly successful one, targeting the premium, pub dining customer within London.""The addition of Realpubs takes the total number of Greene King sites within the M25 to 217 and positions us strongly ahead of, during and after the Olympics in London in 2012, when London and its pubs and restaurants will be visited by tourists from across the world," said chief executive Rooney Anand.---bc