EG GROUP has reported a major increase in earnings over the second quarter of this year, driven by the "extraordinary" growth of its foodservice division.

The company, founded by Mohsin and Zuber Issa with a single petrol station in Bury, says that in the three months to June 30, 2021 turnover increased by 57.7 per cent from $4.130billionn to $6.511billion, while over the second quarter earnings rose by 23.7 per cent from $307million to $380million.

Performance was particularly strong in the foodservice sector, which the group has described as an "extraordinary year-on-year performance uplift" thanks to the easing of lockdown restrictions along with the company's expansion across Asda sites and recent £100million takeover of fast food chain LEON, with gross foodservice profit growing by 231 per cent year-on-year and by 219 per cent on a like-for-like basis.

In a joint statement, the Issa brothers said: "We continued to make good progress in the second quarter, with a particularly strong performance from our foodservice business, driven by growth in customer demand for take away and delivery services and the easing of Covid restrictions across many of our countries.

"The Group’s latest performance is further validation of our successful global strategy.

"We are also pleased to have completed the acquisition of LEON Restaurants and look forward to expanding its offering with around 10 new restaurant openings planned this year, including the brand’s first ever Drive-Thru."

The trading report also revealed that EG Group's gross profit from fuel increased year-on-year by 9 per cent, with fuel sales volumes growing by 19 per cent compared to the same quarter last year and that gross profits had also increased in the business's grocery and merchandise sector by 24 per cent.

This comes despite expectations that the fuel market was set to decline last year

Meanwhile, EG Group says plans remain underway to complete the integration of the Asda forecourts business into the wider company.

Net debt increased from $8.928bn in March 2021 to $9.105bn by the end of June.

The Issa brothers said: "The resilience of our business model has been demonstrated during the pandemic, and we have emerged as an even stronger business as we enter the second half of the year with confidence."