The group behind the Revolution and Revolucion de Cuba brands has said "pent up demand" helped its venues perform strongly since they were allowed to partially reopen after some Covid-19 restrictions were lifted last month.
Manchester-headquartered Revolution Bars Group, which restarted trading outside on April 12, 2021 in 20 bars, said it is "ready to bounce back to capture the pent up demand and to take advantage of the improvements made to our brands over the past year".
Since that date, a further five bars have opened outdoor space including those as permitted by the relaxation of restrictions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A statement to the London Stock Exchange said: "We are pleased to report that since opening those bars have traded extremely strongly, fulfilling the desire for our customers to return despite the often unseasonably cold weather.
"The restrictions in place are such that in the bars where we have been able to trade outdoors the covers available represent approximately only 15% of total capacity of those venues, which are also trading for shorter hours than normal.
"Despite these constraints, we are delighted to report that these venues have delivered 48% of the sales in the four weeks to 9 May 2021 when compared to the same period in 2019, when there were no Covid-19 restrictions.
"We believe this performance has been underpinned by the strength of our brands, our loyal customer base and the improvements we have made to the business during the period of forced closure.
"Following the customer reaction we have seen over the last four weeks, the board is confident that significant further pent up demand exists and therefore further strong trading is anticipated in the months to come as restrictions fall away and we fully open up the estate."
The group added that it now expects its full-year performance for the year to June 30, 2021, to be ahead of previous management targets.
Chief executive Rob Pitcher said: "As predicted we have seen huge pent up demand and a rapid recovery across the nation in the bars with outside space that we have been able to open to date.
"The ability to trade inside from 17 May 2021 provides another landmark in the Roadmap and whilst we will still be restricted to using less than 50% of our actual capacity, the demand that we have experienced in recent weeks provides us with the confidence to open all the remaining bars.
"We are delighted to welcome our guests back indoors from the 17 May 2021, and look forward to the full benefits still to come when all restrictions are lifted in mid-June."
