UK pub operator Wetherspoon's sales rise as COVID curbs end

(Reuters) - UK's J D Wetherspoon on Wednesday reported a 9.6% rise in like-for-like sales in the first 14 weeks of the financial year and said it expected positive cash flow this year as Britons flocked to its pubs after COVID-related curbs ended.

The pub group, often referred to simply as "Spoons" by its younger customers, said that trading for the first quarter plus an additional week ended Nov. 6 has been broadly in line with expectations, although October has been a slightly slower month.

(Reporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)