Drinks sales in Britain’s on-trade continue to lag behind last year’s levels as autumn gets under way, CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker shows.
Average sales in Britain’s managed venues dropped by 5% year on year in the week to last Saturday (14th September) — though this a better performance than the fall of 12% in the previous seven days.
Trading was negative on all seven days of the week, although Saturday was slightly better at only 2% down. The week wasn’t helped by widespread cool and grey weather that kept consumers away from pub gardens and terraces after a warmer spell in late August. Higher temperatures and sunshine this week should have made for better trading.
For the second week in a row, wine was the best performing category, with sales fractionally up by 0.1%. Beer (down 2%) had a fair week, but cider (down 11%), soft drinks (down 8%) and spirits (down 14%) all suffered by comparison to September 2023.
“Despite a week-on-week improvement, drinks sales are still short of what operators and suppliers might expect in September,” said Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial leader UK & Ireland.
“Cooler weather isn’t helping, and we may also be seeing a readjustment of some consumers’ spending after their summer holidays.
“While inflation, household expenses and interest rates are generally moving in the right downward direction, it takes time before that translates into freer spending in pubs, bars and restaurants.”
