Pub chain JD Wetherspoon halved interim pre-tax losses as Covid restrictions eased and said trading in the last three weeks was now 2.6% below 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
The company on Friday reported a loss before exceptional items for the 26 weeks to January 23 of ยฃ26m, compared with ยฃ52m a year ago. Revenue climbed to ยฃ807m from ยฃ431m a year earlier.
Like-for-like sales were fell 11.8%, compared to the six-month period ended 26 January 2020, before pandemic lockdowns led to pub closures and were down 12.4% for the first four weeks of the second half of the financial year, ending 20 February 2022, compared to the same period in 2020.




