By Stuart Condie

SYDNEY--Australian drinks and hospitality business Endeavour Group Ltd. reported a 22% increase in annual earnings, but said it couldn't forecast results for its new financial year because of uncertainty stemming from the pandemic.

Endeavour, which was spun out of supermarket chain Woolworths Group Ltd., on Thursday said sales for the 52 weeks through June 27 rose to 11.60 billion Australian dollars ($8.4 billion). That was an increase of 9.3% from a year earlier on an equivalent basis.

Earnings before interest and tax rose to A$899 million from A$736 million.

On a statutory basis, Endeavour reported a A$445 million net profit, compared to a A$64 million loss in the previous year. It declared a dividend of 7.0 Australian cents per share.

Endeavour declined to give formal guidance during Covid-19 lockdowns, most notably in Sydney. It said group sales were 2.3% lower on-year over the first eight weeks of the current financial year, with hotel sales down 7.3% on-year, and down 36% on the same period in financial year 2020.

Write to Stuart Condie at stuart.condie@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

08-25-21 1841ET