Belhaven Best owner cheered by warmer weather Pubs operator Greene King has enjoyed a rise in sales in recent weeks as the warmer weather drove demand for its beer and food. The Suffolk-based group, which owns the Belhaven brewery in Dunbar, said like-for-like sales at its retail business grew 4.6 per cent in the 18 weeks to 1 September, boosted by a 5.7 per cent increase in food sales. Sales at its accommodation division jumped 6 per cent as more British consumers opted to holiday at home. Greene King, which owns chains including Eating Inn, Hungry Horse and Loch Fyne Restaurants, manages 1,000 pubs throughout the UK. Brewing volumes grew 2.7 per cent during the period, with its Old Speckled Hen brand enjoying a rise of 7.9 per cent. The firm, headed by chief executive Rooney Anand, said: "There appear to be cautious signs of optimism in terms of recent UK macro-economic improvements. In turn, we are seeing indications of growing consumer confidence, which is reflected in our strong start to the financial year. This performance has been helped by some one-off factors including the feel-good factor from continued British sporting success and the arrival of the royal baby, combined with much improved weather over the summer months.