Britain's Restaurant Group forecast annual profit at the top end of its expectations on Friday January 21 as the Wagamama owner reined in costs to deal with food and drink inflation and labour market pressures.
Top End
Shares in the company were up as much 3% after it estimated adjusted core profit would come in at the top end of its projection range of £73 million to £79 million for the year ending January 2.
Welcome And Caution
The group, which runs restaurants, pubs and kiosks in travel hubs, welcomed the recent lifting of curbs in Britain imposed ahead of Christmas, but cautioned that consumer confidence will take longer to recover.
December Sales
Restaurant Group said that sales at its Wagamama chains grew at a slower pace in December due to restrictions related to the Omicron COVID-19 variant, but that the group overall outperformed the broader market.
Other Pub Operators
Other pub operators such as JD Wetherspoon and Mitchells & Butlers saw a drop in Christmas sales after the Omicron variant winter surge left venues largely empty during what should have been one of their busiest periods.
Citi Analysts Statement
"Although the UK government has now removed most COVID-related restrictions, we expect some impact on revenues in January and a slightly hesitant recovery through Q1 (not least from air travel)," analysts at Citi said.
Issues On The Road To Recovery
Restaurant Group had flagged staff shortages and supply chain constraints last year on its road to recovery from pandemic lows and warned that inflationary cost pressures would last through its fiscal 2022.
In the past year, it has restructured its Leisure and Concessions businesses, and shuttered a significant number of sites in the first half of 2021 and in 2020.
Like-For-Like December Sales
Its like-for-like December sales across its leisure, concessions and pub categories fell compared to 2019 levels. Sales at its Wagamama chains grew 1% in December, from 8% in November and 11% in October.
News by Reuters, edited by Hospitality Ireland. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
