Driving back into the black

The AA has driven back into profit after the breakdown service said it has reversed a decline in falling membership numbers.

Pre-tax profits came in at £48million for the first half of the year, against a £ 69million loss in the same period last year. Paid personal members grew in every month in the second quarter to 3.3million, reversing a falling trend.

Chief executive Bob Mackenzie said: “We are encouraged by the reversal of decline in paid personal members over the last fewmonths. The marketing strategy is achieving a significant impact, andwecontinue to improve customer experience through digital innovation.”

Revenue rose 2.2% to £467million and Mr Mackenzie brushed aside Brexit fears, adding: “Overall the performance of the business has been robust in the first half and we continue to trade in line with expectations. To date we see no impact on our operations from any Brexit-related issues and we believe we are creating significant momentum for the 2018 financial year.”