The London-based pubs and rooms operator, which also has sites in the south-east of England, also said adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) climbed 5.9% to £62.5m.
Like-for-like (lfl) sales rose by 5.7% during the 26-week period ended 29 September 2025 with the group putting the uplifts down to “a combination of a well-invested, premium estate and the excellent weather during late spring and early summer”.
Meanwhile, lfl revenue for the past 13 weeks was 4.2% ahead of the same time last year.
Unwavering commitment
Young’s CEO Simon Dodd said: “Our proven strategy and unwavering commitment to operating a premium, well-invested managed house estate continues to be reflected in these results, with a record first half performance following another strong period of trading and market outperformance.
“I am particularly proud that this performance was achieved against a backdrop of significant ongoing cost headwinds. Record trading in our estate over the summer, our biggest ever Wimbledon fortnight and the full benefit of City Pub Group integration synergies helped to offset the impact of these pressures.”
Other report highlights showed adjusted profit before tax up 9.9% to £31.1m, which Young’s said was “driven by top line growth and strong conversion, despite continued pressures from national living wage increases, national insurance and food inflation”.
Second half started well
The group made a £12.6m investment in the period, continued investment in its existing estate, with the aim being to underpin the long-term business.
It added: “Healthy cash generation, working capital timing and a second half weighted investment plan has reduced debt since the full year by £26.5m to £221.8m (excluding leases), with net debt to EBITDA at 2.0 times (2.6 times including leases) and in line with our capital allocation framework.”
Dodd added: “The second half has started well, but we remain mindful of ongoing economic uncertainty and its potential impact on consumer sentiment, and we will continue to monitor trading conditions closely.
“Despite everything we have faced in recent years, Young’s is well-positioned to continue to perform well financially thanks to the unparalleled quality of our estate and our resilient business model.”
