Marston’s pins hopes on World Cup as sales slump sends shares tumbling

Pub chain Marston’s is pinning its hopes on this summer’s World Cup to boost business, after sales disappointed in the first half of the year. 

The London-listed pub group said its revamped sports pubs are well suited to welcome football fans ‘for the World Cup summer and beyond’ as sales fell 1.1 per cent over the six months to 28 March.

Total revenue for the period slumped by £2.2million to £422.7million as it temporarily closed pubs to carry out renovations. 

But its 91 completed refurbishments – which include family pub brand Woodie’s, sports pubs Grandstand and its dining lounge Two Door venues – are now ‘delivering real momentum’, it said on Tuesday.

Marston’s said it is ‘actively evaluating’ an expanded rollout of around 100 new revamped sites for the 2027 financial year. 

But the group’s weaker sales drove shares 6 per cent lower to 47.68p, the lowest level in almost six months. 

Marston’s is hoping football fans will help boost its sales when the World Cup kicks off in June

Like-for-like sales fell 0.5 per cent over the six months, but Marston’s insisted this was ‘ahead of the market’, and it had had to compete with a very strong April last year.

Publicans have expressed their concerns in recent months as consumers face a further squeeze amid the war in the Middle East.

Households are bracing for further rises to grocery and energy bills as the Bank of England has also warned that interest rates could rise this year.

Marston’s chief executive Justin Platt said the group had ‘made excellent strategic progress in the first half’ and its investments were ‘performing particularly well.’

Platt added: ‘These new format pubs are proving incredibly popular with guests while delivering very attractive commercial returns.

‘Looking forward, we are very well positioned for the World Cup summer ahead and expect our pubs, especially our new Grandstand formats, to be in high demand.’

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