BOMBARDIER and McEwan's brewer Young's has toasted a 26 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to £18.8 million for the half-year to September 29.

That was driven by a strong performance in its managed pubs and a return to growth for the tenanted division. Revenues were up 6.9 per cent on a like-for-like basis. Chief executive Stephen Goodyear said that with 245 pubs in total it was below the 500-level of companies being targeted by legislation to reform the historic "beer tie" between landlords and tenants.