Mitchells & Butlers saw like-for-like sales growth of 1.6% in the 28 weeks to April 14, with adjustment of 2.5% taking the impact of snow into consideration.
There was adjusted operating profit of £141m, down on £149, in the first half of 2017.
Chief executive, Phil Urban, said: “During the first half, we continued to deliver like-for-like sales growth against a period of growth last year. This strong performance comes from the progress we continue to make in our three priority areas: building a more balanced business; instilling a more commercial culture; and driving an innovation agenda.
“Success in this highly competitive market is dependent on a continuous stream of improvements, and that is what we are focused on delivering. We have, therefore, embarked upon a new wave of initiatives which are in their early stages of development, and we believe have the potential to further transform the business.
“As previously announced, margins are being adversely impacted by increased costs, most notably from wage inflation, property costs, energy, and food and drink costs. In light of this, our operational teams have performed well to deliver flat underlying profitability in the period.”
