How to grow a business from a bean January 26, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks student life and staple diets with James Eder, founder of marketing firm The Beans Group IN THE age-old debate over whether entrepreneurship is innate or can be taught, James Eder – founder of The Beans Group – makes a strong case for the former. At 13, he and his brother Michael created [...]
JD Wetherspoon reveals rise in Christmas sales January 22, 2014 JD WETHERSPOON reported strong results over the Christmas and New Year period yesterday, the latest in a series of UK pubs to benefit from the holiday season. Like-for-like sales for the twelve weeks of the second quarter were up by 6.7 per cent and total sales by 10.6 per cent, while year to date like-for-like [...]
Wetherspoons slams pub taxes as sales improve January 22, 2014 Pub chain JD Wetherspoon has used its pre-close statement to strongly criticise what it regards as an unfair tax regime: The pub industry continues to pay far higher taxes than supermarkets do, mainly as a result of an unequal and unfair VAT and business rates burden. This tax inequality has greatly widened the pricing differential [...]
What you need to know before the open – 22/01 January 22, 2014 European equities are expected stronger today, as US stock futures increase and improving Asian shares see investors relaxing a bit. Davos continues today, with world leaders debating the crucial economic questions of the day. With something of a dearth of economic data this week, investors continue to watch the various earnings reports out. SUGGESTED [...]
Wetherspoons founder hits out at Labour’s pub regulation plan January 21, 2014 THE FOUNDER of the pub chain JD Wetherspoon has hit back, after a Labour minister called for tighter regulations for pub companies. Tim Martin said that although he thinks Punch Taverns and Enterprise have not treated some tenants well, tighter regulation would punish family-run companies who do a good job and try to be fair. “The [...]
Growing food and booze sales give festive cheer to Marston’s January 21, 2014 MARSTON’S yesterday became the latest pub chain to report strong trading over the Christmas and New Year period, with like-for-like sales up 4.1 per cent. Food sales grew by 5.6 per cent in the 15 weeks to 18 January, the firm said, while at its more drinks-led managed pubs’ sales were up three per cent. [...]
Best of the Brokers for 16 January 2014 January 15, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com WETHERSPOONS Brokers at Numis have increased their target price on the stock to 925p and put an “add” rating on the stock due to a faster rate of expansion at the pub chain and falling swap costs. The pub plans to open eight [...]
Wetherspoons ups target to open new pubs November 6, 2013 PUB OPERATOR JD Wetherspoons yesterday raised its target for new pub openings in 2014 and said like-for-like sales were up 3.7 per cent during the first quarter to 27 October. Wetherspoons plans to open between 40 and 50 new pubs this year, it said in an interim management statement yesterday, up from its earlier target of [...]
Analyst Views: What do you make of JD Wetherspoon’s interim management statement? November 6, 2013 JAMES HOLLINS | INVESTEC“Wetherspoon has delivered strong like-for-like performance and increased its targeted estate expansion for 2014. Wetherspoon, despite a rise in our maintenance capex estimates to reflect a facilities upgrade programme, is forecast to drive a free cash flow yield of 8.7 per cent this year. NICK BATRAM | PEEL HUNT“Top-line growth was better [...]
JD Wetherspoon sales rise as it attacks government over VAT November 6, 2013 VAT disparity between supermarkets and pubs is the biggest danger to the pub industry, according to JD Wetherspoon. (Release) The pub chain said in its interim management statement: Since supermarkets pay almost no VAT in respect of food sales, whereas pubs pay 20 per cent, supermarkets are able to subsidise their drinks' prices to the [...]