Greene King's first quarter like-for-like sales climb

(Reuters) - British pub operator Greene King Plc's <GNK.L> like-for-like sales rose 2.8 percent higher in the first quarter, boosted by exceptionally warm weather in the country and the football World Cup.

The company, which owns ale brands such as Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale, said 3.7 million pints of beer were sold in total during England's seven World Cup matches and like-for-like drink sales on the day of the semi-final were up 61 percent.

(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)