LEADING city pub company Laine’s has reported end of year sales of £27.5 million off the back of a series of major refurbishments.

The Laine Pub Company saw sales growth up by nearly nine per cent on the previous year, with pre-tax earnings of £3.2 million – up eight per cent.

The company previously known as InnBrighton has 39 pubs in Brighton and Hove as well as eight in London.

The group had a busy 2015 with the relaunch of seafront nightclub LIFE into The Tempest – a job that was delayed for nine months after the unexpected collapse of the A259.

Existing pubs Riki Tik in Bond Street and The Hope in Queens Road were relaunched as Dead Wax Social and Hope & Ruin in 2015.

November 2015 also saw the relaunch of The Western in Churchill Square and in December The World’s End in London Road had a refit.

There are further plans for two more major investments in Brighton in 2016– as well as pipeline of potential acquisitions in London.

Plans are also being drawn up to enhance the company’s brewing facilities and craft beer brands.

Chief executive Gavin George said: “The delays to the opening of The Tempest were frustrating but following its Easter launch, the pub has traded considerably above expectations and this has had a favourable impact on the group’s results since.

“Dead Wax Social and Hope & Ruin launched in 2015 have also made encouraging contributions to the Brighton performance.

“But equally significant is the trading of the London estate which has continued to build on the 30% EBITDA growth it achieved in FY15.”

“We’ve overcome many of the challenges and risks associated with the swift building of a geographically dispersed business and have continued to create pubs with individuality, enchantment and variety - our objectives since we opened our first pub in Brighton in 1996.”