Half-year revenue at pub company Spirit has increased to more than £400 million following investment in its estate and staff.

The Burton-upon-Trent company, which owns brands such as Chef & Brewer, Fayre & Square and Flaming Grill, said sales in the 28 weeks to March 1, 2014, were up year-on-year from £391.2 million to £406 million.

But the news was tempered with a drop in operating and pre-tax profit profit due to exceptional items, mainly a £15.9 million charge in relation to VAT on gaming machines.

Operating profit for the period was down to £39.9 million from £46.7 million while pre-tax levels were down to £900,000 from £11.8 million.

Chief executive Mike Tye told the market today: "We are pleased with our performance in the first half of the year and the continuing momentum across the business, which reflects the benefits of investment in our estate, infrastructure and people.

"In our managed division, we believe our brands and high quality estate provide the basis for sustainable growth in earnings and size of the branded estate.

"The leased division is now stable and in growth and we continue to invest and innovate to improve the quality of the business going forward.

"We remain cautious, but are starting to see tentative signs of recovery in consumer spending, from which we should be well placed to benefit.

"We are confident that our customer proposition and sustained focus on delivering hospitality excellence to our guests mean that we can continue to deliver value for all our stakeholders."