Wetherspoon Q3 like-for-like sales down 0.1 percent

LONDON (Reuters) - Pubs group JD Wetherspoon (JDW.L) said on Tuesday its like-for-like sales fell 0.1 percent in the third quarter of its financial year and that it was cautious about trading prospects in the short term.

The firm, in a trading update for the 13 weeks to April 27, said better-than-expected sales had been offset by higher-than-expected costs, and it expected operating margins to remain pressured by higher marketing, food and labour costs.

Like-for-like sales so far this financial year are down 1.5 percent, Wetherspoon said.

"The market for bar sales remains challenging and the company continues to be cautious in the short term," it added.

(Reporting by Mark Potter, Editing by Dan Lalor)