Food sales big business for Marston's

Customers hungry for value-for-money food are driving sales at Marston's, the Wolverhampton-based pubs and brewing giant.

Food sales are thought to be up by five per cent at some pubs.

The group, which employs around 1,000 people at its headquarters in Chapel Ash, today revealed sales at pubs open more than a year lifted two per cent in the last 10 weeks, with food sales up five per cent and drink sales rising 1.8 per cent.

The performance represented a slowdown on the 2.9 per cent overall growth achieved in the 42 weeks to July 23, but this was due to strong trading in the same period last year, which included the World Cup.

Marston's, which employs a total of 12,000 people across its 2,150 pubs and brewery operations, is building a string of new pub-restaurants costing around £2million each – and they are a big hit with customers.

Chief executive Ralph Findlay said: "Eating out is an affordable luxury and people are doing just that, not just because of the price but the quality and the service.

"Our two-for-one's are proving extremely popular, and nowhere more so than at the Hollybush at Penn and the Bell at Tong."

The group, which brews Marston's Pedigree, Banks's ales and Hobgoblin beer, added its own-brewed volumes were up two per cent compared with the previous year – outperforming a declining market.