Greene King sees 'strong' trading over Christmas

Sales of Greene King's Old Speckled Hen ale have surged over 15%

Pub owner and brewer Greene King has seen strong trading over Christmas, with sales hitting a company record.

Suffolk-based Greene King said like-for-like sales, which strip out the impact of new openings, jumped 5% in the six weeks to 5 January.

The firm, which owns the Loch Fyne and Hungry Horse chains, sold 62,000 meals on Christmas Day, driving sales to a record £3.1m.

Like-for-like sales are now up 3.8% this financial year, the firm said.

Chief executive Rooney Anand credited "strong seasonal offers" for the performance.

And sales of its own Old Speckled Hen ale have surged over 15% in the year to date, it added.

The firm said it remained on track to meet full year analysts' expectations.

Greene King employs 22,000 people, and has more than 2,200 pubs, restaurants and hotels.