Champagne sales boom 'points to end of recession'

THE RECESSION bubble has finally burst, according to a UK hotel chain which is reporting booming sales of champagne.

Managers at the Logis of Great Britain hotels group - the sister company of the French-based chain - say sales of champagne have soared by nearly 25 per cent since May.

Guests at the chain's 450 hotels have been ordering nearly 2,000 bottles of champagne a month - 700 bottles more than normal.

Hoteliers reckon that sales of champagne are an economic indicator. Angie Petkovic, a Logis council member who runs the Hallery House Hotel in Cheltenham, said: 'The bubbly barometer is set fair. Logis tend to be small family-run hotels so it's a fair reflection that the economy is improving. And about time too.'