ETM Group, which operates 14 sites across London, reported its best figures during all its Christmas trading periods with a 16% increase to overall revenue and like-for-like sales rising by 13.1% for the five weeks to 31 December.
Moreover, the group recorded a pre-booked event sales increase of 13.3%, a trend reflected in Stonegate Pub Company’s 2018 trading which, as reported by The Morning Advertiser, saw a 17.8% uplift in pre-bookings across the past 12 months.
ETM Group’s festive figures follow a 34.7% increase in turnover recorded for the year ending 29 February 2019.
ETM CEO and joint founder Ed Martin commented: “We are delighted with the group’s performance over the festive and new year period – delivering double-digit growth and record sales of over £1.2m for the week ending 16 December.
“Through innovative trading formats, investment in a new sales division and robust forward planning, we have been able to optimise sales across all our venues. I am immensely proud of our teams whose hard work has delivered this great result.”
“We are optimistic for 2019 and hope to see a very positive first quarter with forthcoming major sporting events like the NFL Super Bowl and Six Nations rugby.”
ETM is set to expand its portfolio of sports venues, which already includes Greenwood, Long Arm Pub and Broadleaf, in 2019 with the addition of Redwood at London Bridge, set to open in the summer.
'Very strong' trading
Arc Inspirations, the operator of brands including Manahatta, Banyan Bar & Kitchen and The Box, also revealed unprecedented festive trading with the company, which operates 18 sites across the north of England, reporting a 6.5% increase in like-for-like sales between 1 December and 1 January.
In the final two weeks of the period, like-for-like sales increased by 14.9%, with a 30% company-wide increase in pre-booked sales across 2018 also recorded.
Discussing the performance, Arc Inspirations CEO Martin Wolstencroft, commented: “December has been a very strong trading period for Arc Inspirations as guests seek out a differentiated and memorable experience to celebrate the festive season.
“The business experienced great trading across all sites, which is testament to our fantastic, committed, hard-working teams, and clearly demonstrates that the proposition of our core brands is attractive to customers.
“It also illustrates that the time spent honing our strategy of operating sites in clusters, with several venues located in close proximity and complementary to each other, is paying dividends.
“We’re excited for the year ahead and the prospect of bringing our brands to new locations and customers and expect 2019 to be another strong year for Arc Inspirations.”
Arc Inspirations, which received close to £7m in funding through a new senior debt deal with Santander in August, has expanded its portfolio of sites across the second half of the year with a new £1.4m site for bar brand The Box in Leeds as well as its first venue in Newcastle.
