Drinks sales in Britain’s on-trade have fallen year-on-year for the fourth week in a row, according to CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker.
It shows average sales in managed venues in the seven days to last Saturday (15th June) were 10% behind the same period in 2023, making it one of the worst weeks of the year so far for sales.
Low temperatures and rain brought tough trading conditions in many parts of Britain for most of the week, keeping consumers out of beer gardens and terraces.
Sales also suffered by comparison to the same week in June 2023, when there was widespread sunshine and temperatures in the high 20s.
Year-on-year sales were down by between 10% and 20% every day from Monday to Thursday. Warmer weather and the start of the Euro 2024 football tournament provided some respite towards the end of the week, with sales down by a more modest 7% and 8% on Friday and Saturday.
Wine was the best performing of the four major drinks category for the fourth week in a row, bucking the downward trend to achieve 4% growth. This is partly the result of consumers staying inside to eat rather than drinking outdoors.
The chilly conditions pushed beer sales down 7%, while the comparison with last year’s heatwave left cider 32% behind. Soft drinks were 5% down while spirits (down 14%) had yet another tough week.
“Cool weather and very tough comparatives are making June a challenging month for many pubs and bars,” said Jonathan Jones, CGA by NIQ’s managing director, UK and Ireland.
“There are several reasons to be optimistic that things will start to get better for operators and suppliers, with better weather forecast, the Euro 2024 tournament in full swing, inflation dropping, and the general election bringing more economic certainty.
“But there’s no escaping the fact that the last four weeks have been very difficult, and that margins are extremely tight for many businesses.”
