Independent pub chain bucks market trend

Jun 19 2009 by Peter McCusker, The Journal

NORTH East independent pub chain Sir John Fitzgerald is bucking the slump in the leisure sector with sales rising for the second successive year.

Results just published by the group, which runs popular Tyneside real ale venues the Crown Posada, Bacchus and The Bridge, show annual sales rose marginally in the year ending January 2009 to £18.9m.

The group says sales are also marginally up this year, which is a pretty creditable performance with 50 pubs in the UK closing every week and national pub beer sales down around 10%.

But the group’s profits remain depressed, coming in at £250,000 compared to £288,000 in the previous year, which had been a sharp fall from the previous year’s £3.6m.

The company runs 23 outlets, including well-known Newcastle spots such as the Crown Posada near the Quayside, Bacchus on High Bridge, The Bodega on Westgate Road and The Bridge, next to the High Level Bridge over the Tyne.

As well as pubs, the company, which employs almost 600 full and part time staff, also operates the Cafe Royal on Nelson Street, Newcastle, where the company’s offices are also based.