(Reuters) - Spirit Pub Company Plc (>> Spirit Pub Co PLC) reported a rise in sales at pubs it directly manages, as a milder winter prompted more Britons to frequent bars.

The company, which operates about 800 managed pubs and around 470 leased pubs under brands such as Chef & Brewer, Fayre & Square and Flaming Grill, said like-for-like net sales at its managed business rose 6.1 percent in the eight weeks ended March 1.

Shares in Spirit Pub, which was spun off from debt-laden Punch Taverns (>> Punch Taverns plc) in August 2011, closed at 81.75 pence on the London Stock Exchange on Monday.

(Reporting by Esha Vaish in Bangalore; Editing by Mathew Veedon)

Stocks treated in this article : Punch Taverns plc, Spirit Pub Co PLC