2026-07-20
JW Lees, the Manchester-based brewer and pub operator, reported a record financial year with sales of £105.6 million and pre-tax profit of £8.8 million, as the company said stronger draught beer demand and continued investment in its estate helped lift performance across its business in northwest England.
The family-owned company said core draught beer sales rose 3.7% during the year. A key factor was the relaunch of Boddingtons Cask Bitter, which returned after a 12-year absence. JW Lees now brews and distributes the beer under license from Budweiser Brewing Group.
The results offer a notable signal for the drinks trade, especially for brewers and operators that depend on pubs and other on-trade venues. Growth in draught beer sales, alongside higher profit, suggests cask and keg beer can still gain ground even as hospitality businesses face rising costs and tax pressure in Britain. That may be closely watched by suppliers, pub groups and drinks companies looking for signs of resilience in the market.
JW Lees said it invested more than £10 million in its existing estate over the year, carrying out more than 20 major refurbishments across its pubs, inns and hotels. The company also expanded its Retail Operator model, which is now used at eight pubs. It currently runs 45 managed sites and 85 Pub Partner sites.
Since the end of the financial year, the company has acquired two more pubs: The Royal Oak in Glossop and the Bull’s Head in Poynton. JW Lees said it is investing in both properties before reopening them in July and September.
William Lees-Jones said the company had achieved a record year for both turnover and profitability. He said the long hot summer of 2025 gave the business a strong start to the year and helped teams raise productivity.
At the same time, he said brewing and hospitality remain difficult sectors. According to Lees-Jones, the company continues to face above-inflation increases in labor costs, high business rates and limited government support. He also called for policies that would better support hospitality and help create jobs.
Lees-Jones said recent changes to Business Property Relief introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves had added pressure for family businesses such as JW Lees. He said the changes mean the company must plan for higher inheritance tax exposure for family shareholders, which he argued would reduce investment capacity.
He also said those tax changes risk giving an advantage to overseas companies and private equity-backed businesses that are not exposed to the same costs. In his view, that weakens the ability of British family-owned companies to invest at a time when the wider economy needs growth.
JW Lees said it intends to remain family-owned as it approaches its 200th anniversary in 2028. The latest figures show a brewer and pub operator expanding from a position of strength, while also warning that cost inflation and fiscal policy could shape how much businesses like it are able to invest in beer production, hospitality sites and future growth.