Punch Pubs Reports Revenue Growth As It Acquires An Additional 24 Pubs

Punch Pubs Group has reported growth in both turnover and profit for the year to date, a period in which the operator significantly expanded its estate through the acquisition of 50 pubs.

In a trading update covering the 40 weeks to 17 May 2026, the group posted total revenue of £274.7m, up from £251.7m in the same period last year. EBITDA climbed to £72.4m, compared with £69.3m previously, with both the Leased and Tenanted division and the Pub Partnerships arm contributing to the improvement.

Alongside the trading figures, Punch confirmed it had spent £36.2m during the 40-week window adding 50 pubs to its portfolio. The additions comprised 30 sites bought from McMullen’s, two smaller bundles of four and eight pubs respectively, and eight standalone purchases. The company described the deals as evidence of a consistent and repeatable strategy for sourcing, acquiring and turning around community pubs.

Since the reporting period closed, Punch has agreed, exchanged or completed on a further 24 pubs at a combined cost of £19.2m, a package that includes five sites picked up from RedCat Hospitality.

Looking at more recent performance, the company said the opening eight weeks of its fourth quarter, up to 12 July 2026, had continued to trade well, with underlying EBITDA running ahead of the same weeks in 2025.

Football provided a notable lift to sales during this window. Punch said the World Cup had driven a marked increase in custom across its pubs, with like-for-like sales in the Pub Partnerships estate up 59 per cent on the seven days England played through to the semi-final stage.

Andy Spencer, chief executive of Punch Pubs Group, said the results marked a further quarter of growth in both revenue and profit, which he attributed to the strength of the company’s business model and the efforts of its publicans in driving performance across the estate. He added that this momentum had carried into the fourth quarter, with the World Cup giving trade a further lift in recent weeks.

Spencer also welcomed the government’s recently announced cut to business rates for pubs in England, calling it a positive and necessary move that shows ministers are engaging with an industry central to community life and a major contributor to the national economy. He added, however, that further action is still needed to support the sector.