The group, which rebranded from Liberation Group at the end of 2024, saw like-for-like sales growth of 9.8% across the managed pubs division with Butcombe Pubs & Inns performing at 11.9%.
Growth was driven by drink at 13%, food at 8% and accommodation at 4.1%.
The group said it remained optimistic for the second half of the year supported by sustained investments, innovation, and loyalty.
Though it also highlighted weak consumer confidence and said it would be keen to see Government support and stability for the sector.
While growth has been achieved across all categories, the standout performances in drink sales was boosted by favourable weather and ongoing strategic investments across the estate, including the enhancement of external areas.
Strong demand
Food continued to perform well across the estate, building upon double digit growth last year, while the accommodation business delivered year-on-year occupancy growth of 80 bps and an occupancy rate of 77.8% year to date, the company said.
Strong demand across the portfolio of 11 Butcombe Boutique Inns has resulted in increased direct bookings, occupancy and revenue.
Butcombe said it has maintained its strategic focus on key day parts and events, with morning sales up 36.6% and weddings delivering 76% growth versus last year and a strong pipeline for 2026.
Managed pubs achieved record trading days for both Mother’s Day (up 31%) and Father’s Day (up 11%) against the previous year.
It described the continued evolution and success of its loyalty programme as “pivotal”, with an increase of 17.6% in active loyalty customers over the last year.
This success has been underpinned by strategic investment in data analytics, particularly customer segmentation, enabling targeted marketing, offers and promotions to drive frequency and spend.
Solid performance
The drinks division also delivered a solid performance in the first half of 2025, particularly within the UK free trade channel, growing by 6% year-on-year.
Cask ales remained robust, outperforming market expectations despite warmer weather, it said.
Butcombe Original maintained its status as the South West’s most popular cask ale, achieving total volumes of 2.25m pints.
There was also growth of Goram IPA Zero, which now represents 5% of total brewing volume, growing by 71% compared to last year.
Chief executive Jonathan Lawson said: “It is great to see such a strong performance for the first half of 2025 despite a challenging trading environment and weak consumer confidence.
“It’s a testimony to the hard work of the entire team and reflective of our ongoing investment in people, quality, customer experience, and data.
“We approach the second half of the year with optimism and are confident that we can continue to outperform the market as we have done for a number of years.”
