oversees 262 Dan Murphy’s outlets, 1434 BWS stores and 349 hotels, which house more than 12,000 poker machines between them.Customers had returned with gusto to the venues after the lockdowns and restrictions of COVID-19.“People in Australia are inherently social,” Mr Donohue said. “I think sociability is absolutely recession-proof.”
The group is also absorbing for the moment a 3.7 per cent increase in mandated beer price excise rises by the federal government for on-tap beer in its pubs, to reinforce the value equation. It said it would be holding prices at current levels “for a number of weeks”, while it monitors the economic conditions.
The group’s liquor retailing business suffered a 9.3 per cent decline in earnings before interest and tax to $418 million for the 27 weeks ended January 1. This was because the previous December half was boosted by the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, when many householders ordered beer, wine and spirits online and drank at home.