Morning matches in a disappointing Rugby World Cup in Japan added to the woes of the City Pub Group late last year HENRY NICHOLLS/REUTERSEngland’s players were not the only ones to feel deflated after the Rugby World Cup. A disappointing tournament was part of a cocktail of negatives that left the City Pub Group nursing a nasty hangover yesterday. Shares of the Aim-quoted group fell 20p, or 9.2 per cent, to 197½p after a warning that full-year earnings would be “slightly below market expectations” owing to a series of one-off factors at the end of the year. It said that the Rugby World Cup, which it showed on screens in its pubs, “did not have the impact that we expected”, while political uncertainty before the general election had held back sales until the result was known, with companies limiting Christmas party budgets. Clive Watson, executive chairman, said that…

Source: The Times January 14, 2020 00:06 UTC