Financial highlights
Total sales up 6.4% to £398m (2014: £374m)
Own shop like-for-like sales up 5.9% (2014: 3.2%)
Prior year restructuring benefits contributed £2.4m year-on-year
Pre-tax profit £25.6m (2014: £16.9m excluding exceptional items)
Diluted earnings per share 19.5p (2014: 12.5p)
Continued strong cash generation
Ordinary interim dividend per share of 7.4p (2014: 6.0p)
Special dividend of 20.0p paid on 17 July 2015
Operational highlights
Continued growth in average transaction value and customer visits
Good results from sales initiatives:
- extension of "Balanced Choice" range
- further growth in breakfast sales
Shop refurbishment programme progressing well:
- 118 refits and 12 café conversions completed
Return to net shop growth (44 new shops opened, 30 closures)
1,664 shops trading at 4 July 2015
Further efficiencies from change programme
"We have had a strong first half with good growth in sales reflecting improvements in our products and the reaction to our shop investment programme. Our offer of great tasting food-on-the-go is being well received by the consumer in market conditions that have remained favourable. In particular we have seen significant growth in breakfast sales as well as from the extension of our "Balanced Choice" range of sandwiches and flatbreads with fewer than 400 calories.
"With the shop refurbishment programme continuing to progress well and new additions to the product range including pizza slices, we are confident of delivering a year of good growth slightly ahead of our previous expectations."
