Results, finance, appointments, capital schemes, and more. News in brief from brewers, venue owners, and other hospitality businesses.
Turnover at St Austell Brewery rose to £234.2m in 2025, the company has reported, up from 231.4m in 2024. Underlying EBITDA was £22m, down from £22.4m the previous year.
“The underlying EBITDA of £22m reflects both the external pressures and the deliberate choices we have made to continue investing through challenging conditions, rather than prioritising short-term returns,” said chairman Gerard Barnes.
• Stonegate, the UK’s largest pub company, has reported its best six-month figures ever. In the 28 weeks to 12th April, it reported first half adjusted EBITDA up by £17m to £201m.
“Our Craft Union and Pub Partners businesses are performing exceptionally well, and the ongoing transformation of our managed estate is progressing, delivering higher quality revenues at an increased margin,” said chief executive David McDowall.
• Pre-tax profit at Timothy Taylor rose to £2,987,055 in the year to 30th September, 2025, from £2,683,157 the previous year. Turnover was up from £34,958,348 to £35,715,190.
Director Timothy Clarke noted: “Underlying income from the tenanted estate was behind, as higher business property rates, changes to National Insurance, and increases in the national living wage all put pressure on our business partners’ incomes, requiring us to provide commercial support to several of them to maintain their viability.”
• Punch Pubs & Co has reported that it returned to profit in the 28 weeks to 22nd February. It’s a bounce back from a pre-tax loss in the year to 10th August, 2025.
The company said: “This strong profit growth stems from: growth in our like-for-like estate driven by inflationary price increases and trade enhancing [capital expenditure] investment; growing profits from pubs transferred from leased and tenanted to pub partnerships; bolt-on acquisitions of single sites and small pub portfolios, with 106 acquisitions completed in the last two years; and optimising our cost base as we implement the £5.1m cost saving plan identified in partnership with Deloitte.”
Punch has announced the purchase of The Harbour Inn, in Amble, Northumberland. The Hume family, who run the pub, will remain in situ.
• Wadworth has reported EBITDA growth of 3.1% in the year to 3rd January, despite the “considerable strain” added to its cost base. EBITDA was £5,590,000, up from £5,417,000 in 2025, while turnover grew from £41,318,000 in 2025 to £42,184,000. Pre-tax profit rose from £923,000 to £1,247,000.
“We expected that 2025 would be a challenging year for Wadworth, particularly following the enormous cost burden imposed on the company in the October 2024 budget,” said chairman Simon Townsend. “The effects of the changes to the national minimum wage and employers’ national insurance contributions have added considerable strain to the company’s cost base, so turning this into EBITDA growth is highly commendable.”
• Greene King is bringing four of its Scottish pubs to the market, each closed and available with vacant possession. The pubs are: The Burnett Arms Hotel, Kemnay, The Bonnie Beastie, Forres, The Carnock Inn, Carnock, and The Abercromby Arms, Tullibody
• Valiant Pub Group has acquired The Scruffy Duck, in Norton, County Durham.
• Joseph Holt is to invest more than £1m in The Golden Hind pub, in Stockport. The pub will undergo “a comprehensive and carefully considered redevelopment”.
