Skip Header
Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Loungers FY24 underlying earnings seen ahead of market expectations

(Sharecast News) - Bar and restaurant operator Loungers said on Friday that it had seen continued strong like-for-like sales growth in the 53 weeks ended 21 April and now expects full-year underlying earnings to come in ahead of expectations. Loungers said it had delivered "record total revenue" of £353.5m, up 24.7% on the previous year, reflecting both continuing strong like-for-like sales growth of 7.5% and the "ongoing success" of its new site opening programme.

The AIM-listed group stated the strength of its sales performance had been accompanied by "disciplined management of costs" and a "continued easing of inflationary cost pressures" and, as a result, expects underlying earnings for FY24 to be ahead of market expectations.

Loungers added that its balance sheet "remains strong", with non-property net debt of £9.7m, up from £6.1m a year earlier as a result of the further acceleration of the firm's site roll-out programme during the year, opening a record 36 new sites in FY24.

Chief executive Nick Collins said: "I am delighted with our performance over the year.

"As we start the new financial year we are looking ahead with optimism. Our experience suggests that the UK economy is holding up well and we are well positioned to deliver continued growth."

As of 0935 BST, Loungers shares were up 1.52% at 234.50p.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com

Share this article

Related Sharecast Articles

Hummingbird announces restart at Kouroussa
(Sharecast News) - Hummingbird Resources announced the remobilization of Corica Mining Services at the Kouroussa Gold Mine in Guinea on Friday, after a work stoppage on March 17.
Drilling to start on Oracle's Northern Zone project
(Sharecast News) - Oracle Power announced on Friday that drilling is set to start next week at the Northern Zone Gold Project, 25 kilometres east of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
Fulcrum Metals extends date for sale of uranium assets
(Sharecast News) - Fulcrum Metals announced an extension to the completion date for the proposed sale of its Saskatchewan uranium projects to Terra Balcanica Resources on Friday.
PipeHawk subsidiary awarded £0.75m contract
(Sharecast News) - PipeHawk announced on Friday that an unnamed building materials company had awarded its subsidiary QM Systems a significant contract.

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

Award-winning online share dealing

Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.

Expert insights into investing your money

Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.