The Today’s Group has announced its best trading figures since 2003 with an overall 12.7% growth in value and a 9.1% year-on-year increase in volume sales.

The licensed category showed a 15.8% growth in value and a 10.4% growth in volume sales, while the general grocery sector witnessed 12.4% growth in value and 5.6% increase in volume. Grocery non-foods showed the largest volume increase with a 17.1% growth and an 8.6% rise in value.

Today’s Group trading director Nick Barker said the “fantastic” results had been helped by the group’s birthday celebrations and a “robust overall trading package”.

Elsewhere in the wholesale sector, cash and carry group Bestway also saw value sales growing, with a year-on-year increase of 4.4% (£1.76bn to £1.83bn) in the year to June.

The food, drinks and wholesale arm of the international group registered a pre-tax profit of £36.8m, a 17.3% increase on the previous year’s figure of £31.4m.

Total group turnover for the year to June was up 4.6%, although profits declined by 6.1% in the same period.