The MD of family-owned beer and pubs business JW Lees has hailed "record sales" for 2024 despite the cost of living crisis battering the hospitality sector.
William Lees-Jones took to X, formerly Twitter, to mark the end of the Middleton group's financial year by reporting that sales were up again on the previous year's record.
He said: "It's tough running pubs. Costs are through the roof. Even more so with business rates and wages this week.
"But people love beer and pubs
"And @JWLeesBrewery just closed off 2024 with record sales of £94.3m, up 10% on 2023.
"Thank you to all our customers and teams
"We go again with 2025."
JW Lees was founded in 1828 and is now in its seventh generation as a family business. It employs more than 1,500 people across its brewery and 48 managed pubs.
In its most recent accounts on Companies House, for the year to March 31, 2023, JW Lees reported a turnover of £87.5m with a pre-tax profit of £3.5m.
Chairman Jim Tully wrote: "Notwithstanding the political and economic backdrop, the company achieved record sales, although the challenging headwinds, in particular the significant rises in energy, food and property costs, did adversely affect profits, which were down by 56% in the year.
"We are pleased to be a private family company, with a strong balance sheet and long-term horizons in these turbulent times and trust that the government will continue to recognise the impact that the hospitality sector can make to the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's economic recovery, but for many the position is precarious. However, we believe that this will bring opportunities for JW Lees."
Don't miss the latest news and analysis with our regular North West newsletters - sign up here for free.
