Pubs group Marston’s drinks to World Cup uplift – Daily Business

Marston’s is ‘well positioned’ for the World Cup

Pubs group Marston’s delivered a profits rise and improved margins ahead of a likely summer boost from the World Cup.

Figures for the 26 weeks ended 28 March 2026, showed stable underlying EBITDA of £85.9 million, with an improved underlying EBITDA margin of 20.3%.

Revenue was £422.7 million, a slight decrease of 1.1% year-on-year, impacted by temporary pub closures for format refurbishments. Profit before tax increased by 7.9% to £20.5m.

The company completed 60 pub format refurbishments, exceeding its target, with these new formats delivering an average return on invested capital of 35% and like-for-like growth of approximately 20%.

Capital expenditure rose to £39m, and net debt reduced by 2.7% to £857.7m, with leverage improving to 4.7x.

Marston’s said it remains on track to meet full-year expectations, anticipating strong summer trading driven by new pub formats and upcoming events.

Justin Platt, CEO, said: “We have made excellent strategic progress in the first half, delivering a strong profit performance underpinned by further margin expansion. 

“Our disciplined operating model continues to drive efficiencies across the business.

“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.

“Against this backdrop, we are encouraged by the outlook for H2 and remain on track to deliver full‑year market expectations.”

#Pubs #group #Marstons #drinks #World #Cup #uplift #Daily #Business