Rise in beer sales cheers Adnams

Adnams, the Southwold-based beer and pub firm, posted sales of £25.75m, a rise of 5.1 per cent, in the six months to June.

Profits jumped 7.7 per cent to £754,000, a strong result for a trade beleaguered by tax rises and cheap supermarket booze.

Meanwhile, lager giant Heineken's first-half profit edged up 1.6 per cent to €705m (£554.6m), falling a little short of analyst exceptions of €737m.

Revenue increased 5 per cent to €8.778m.