Rugby World Cup: Marston's pub group boosted in Wales

A company which runs 200 Welsh pubs has welcomed the business boost brought by the Rugby World Cup.

Marston's said the group was set for a good weekend of sales, particularly in Wales as the country looks ahead to a quarter final against Argentina.

The firm runs 1,415 pubs across the UK, and revealed that sales jumped by around a tenth for the past year despite wet weather in July and August.

It cut several head office jobs amid pressure from rising costs.

Andrew Andrea, Marston's chief executive, said its Welsh business - which includes Brains pubs it bought in 2020 - had been helped by the recent rugby internationals.

Wales is set to face Argentina in the quarter finals on Saturday.

"This weekend should be strong across the board too," Mr Andrea added.

"We'll expect to do well from the Wales match and hopefully will see people at those pubs stay to watch the Ireland-All Blacks game after."

Marston's told shareholders on Wednesday that like-for-like sales had risen by 12% over the first five weeks of the tournament, with rises in both food and drink sales.

It comes after a 10.1% rise in like-for-like sales in the year to September 30.

The company said "customer demand remains encouraging" despite pressure on household budgets.

Julie Palmer, partner at business recovery specialist Begbies Traynor, said Marston's performance "confirms the health of the larger pub companies, many of which have reported similar uplifts helped by the glut of televised sporting events".

She said: "Marston's focus on affordable pubs in suburban areas shows they remain appealing to consumers."