Cheers! Shepherd Neame pubs toast best week ever

Shepherd Neame said some pubs posted record sales last week, despite only opening their gardens.

Drinkers rushing back for their first pint pushed sales at the majority of the pub company’s 200 venues that reopened on April 12 in line with, or above, 2019 levels.

The two best-performing pubs were The Wharf in Dartford in Kent and The Woolpack in Banstead, Surrey, which have big outside spaces.

Cheers: Drinkers rushing back for their first pint pushed sales at the majority of the pub company’s 200 venues that reopened on April 12 in line with, or above, 2019 levels

Bosses said the performance showed there was lots of pent-up demand from customers desperate to get out and see friends and family.

Chief executive Jonathan Neame, 56, said: ‘The mood was one of enormous joy and relief… and there was a terrific spirit of goodwill, that some of the more simple pleasures we can start to enjoy once again.

‘People have come out faster and stronger than in those first weeks in July suggesting the consumer is more confident.’

He made the comments as the company announced half-year results.

It fell to a £7.2million loss in the six months to December 26, down from a £5.4million profit the year before, after turnover fell 30 per cent to £55.3million.

The company, which has been based in the market town of Faversham, Kent, for more than 300 years, was burning up to £2million per month during lockdown.

Relief: Shepherd Neame chief exec Jonathan Neame

Even this figure was flattered by better-than-expected sales of bottled beer to families at home.

There is a buoyant mood on the High Street as consumers prepare to spend savings built up during the pandemic.

Earlier this week Primark reported record sales across England and Wales for the first week after reopening, with bosses announcing ‘fashion is back’.

The return of events and weddings is expected to help reverse lockdown trends as consumers divert more spending to gigs, trips to theme parks, bowling alleys and zoos, and shopping.

The hospitality sector is getting ready for a summer of people holidaying in the UK, which will see tens of billions of pounds diverted to high streets and tourist destinations.

Pubs in rural areas, in market towns and at the seaside are expecting a blistering summer as frustrated sunseekers flock to UK beauty spots.

Following the successful reopening, Wetherspoons said it would open more venues, adding another 44 pubs in England from April 26 to the 394 which opened last week.

Beer giant Heineken also said it expected sales to bounce back strongly thanks in part to the reopening in the UK.

Its UK sales plunged by around 30 per cent in the first three months of 2021, compared to the same period in 2019, because of the lockdown.

The Dutch brewer, which also makes Birra Moretti, Sol and Amstel, said overall beer sales were down close to a tenth, pushing profits down 44 per cent to £145million, compared to 2019 levels.

The group said: ‘Our business continues to be significantly impacted by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

‘We expect market conditions to gradually improve into the second part of the year, depending on the rollout of vaccines.’