Widespread wet weather pushed on-trade drinks sales back into negative year-on-year performance last week, CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker shows.
Average sales in Britain’s managed venues in the week to last Saturday (28th September) were 6% down on the equivalent period in 2023.
Trading across the month was well behind September 2023, with a weak first fortnight followed by modest growth during a burst of better weather in the third week.
The Tracker shows sales were down year on year on all seven days of last week. With heavy rain and floods hitting much of the country, Sunday and Monday were particularly difficult, and sales were down 10% and 13% respectively.
Trading perked up a little on Tuesday (down 5%) and Wednesday (down 2%), and slightly higher temperatures and the Premier League combined to make Saturday (down 1%) the high point of the week.
All five main drinks categories recorded negative trading over the course of the week. Beer (down 3%) fared best, ahead of wine and champagne (down 4%). Cider was down 8%.
Spending confidence
“A sunny September in 2023 was always going to make year-on-year growth in drinks sales difficult,” sais Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial leader UK & Ireland.
“Consumers, venues, and suppliers will all be cursing the disappointing weather of the summer and early autumn, and hoping for much better as we enter the crucial final quarter.
“After a challenging first eight months of 2024, improvements in both the conditions and consumers’ spending confidence will be needed to help make up some of the ground that has been lost.”
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