May 14 (Reuters) - British pub operator Marston's posted on Tuesday a smaller first-half loss from a year-ago period, supported by strong demand and lower costs even as inflationary pressures loomed, and also forecast an encouraging second half.

The Wolverhampton-based group reported a 0.8 million pounds ($1 million) underlying loss before tax for the six-month period ended March 30, while like-for-like sales in the last six weeks of the second half were up 4%.

Pub groups, which were hit hard due to the pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis, are now a lot more confident about the footfalls as the costs of raw materials gradually ease while customer spending on food and beverages gained momentum.

The predominantly suburban pub group, which operates at least 1,395 pubs, said it was well-positioned to capitalise on consumer lifestyle changes.

"With a number of 'must not miss' major sporting events, our massively upgraded pub gardens and much-loved food menus, we expect our pubs to be very popular this summer," CEO Justin Platt said in a statement.

($1 = 0.7961 pounds) (Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Rashmi Aich)