Belhaven owner Greene King raised a glass to a 6.6% rise in annual profits.
The group, whose trading brands include Loch Fyne eateries, grew like-for-like sales by 2.3% in its retail estate of nearly 1,000 managed pubs in the year to April.
The figure was driven by a strong performance in the first half of the period, with the second part of the year hit by the long winter.
Overall pre-tax profits of £162 million for the year came in marginally better than City forecasts and compared with £152m a year earlier.
In line with other pub groups, the brewer has focused on food sales and recently served a record 700,000 meals over the four-day Easter period.
The company said: “We maintained a healthy balance between offering further value to our customers and continuing to improve our retail margins.”
The firm said conditions at the start of the new financial year remained challenging but said it was confident of maintaining momentum.
The firm is targeting 1,100 retail sites by 2015, having acquired or transferred 38 sites in the last year. It is progressing plans for a new pub and restaurant development on Dundee’s Kings Cross Road.
