UK: Trading remains tough at non-smoking pubs

JD Wetherspoon revealed today that trading has remained tough at pubs where it has banned smoking – clouding news of a sales upturn for the wider business.

The group, which already operates 49 of its 650 pubs as non-smoking outlets, said a negative sales trend seen at these pubs in the first quarter of its financial year had continued in the subsequent 11 weeks.