Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.
The World Cup has lifted beer sales at pub chain Marston’s, as England and Wales fans flocked to the bar to drink in the action from Qatar.
Demand for our predominantly community-based pubs continues to be encouraging despite ongoing macro uncertainty and our estate is well-placed to benefit from changing patterns in consumer behaviour.
We are managing cost inflation well and remain confident that our commitment to continue to reduce the Group’s debt and return sales to back to £1 billion will drive NAV [net asset value]and shareholder value.
Discounts around Black Friday encouraged shoppers to do their Christmas shopping early in November to make the most of the sales.
With the cost-of-living crisis and squeezed household budgets, customers are arguably hungrier than ever for a bargain while retailers have been aggressively discounting in an attempt to attract a slice of the slimmed down pot of overall consumer spending.