A long overdue spell of warm weather and a bumper St Patrick’s Day helped to revive on-trade drinks sales in mid-March, according to NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker.
It shows average sales in managed venues in the week to Saturday, 21st March, were 6.4% ahead of the same period in 2025. This made it the best performing week of 2026 so far.
Trading was boosted by sunny weather in many parts of the country, with sales up by 22.8% on Wednesday, 18th March. Higher temperatures then gave operators and suppliers their strongest weekend since Christmas by a long way, as average revenue rose 4.8% and 9.4% on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st March respectively.
Sunshine also enhanced St Patrick’s Day, which has grown in popularity as a celebratory occasion in recent years. Sales on Tuesday, 17th March, soared 51.5% above the same Tuesday in 2025, as consumers flocked to pubs and bars for Irish-themed celebrations. It contributed to growth for nearly all drinks categories across the week, with wine (up 12.4%), soft drinks (up 13.7%), beer (up 5.3%) and cider (up 9.9%) all comfortably outpacing inflation.
The bumper week is a welcome return to growth for drinks sales after negative comparisons in seven of the first 10 weeks of this year. The previous week, to Saturday, 14th March, had seen sales drop 2.7% behind the equivalent period in 2025, as wet and grey weather continued. This also dampened down modest uplifts to sales provided by Mother’s Day, when sales were 3.5% behind the same occasion in 2025, and by the final round of fixtures in rugby’s Six Nations.
“The long wait for better weather finally ended in mid-March, and it immediately created an upswing in sales for many operators and suppliers,” said Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial lead, UK and Ireland. “It was also perfectly timed for St Patrick’s Day, which is an ever more important trading opportunity for venues.
“It’s very apparent that consumers remain eager to drink out when the sun shines and when big public occasions give them the chance to celebrate and socialise. Fingers will now be firmly crossed for more good weather over the Easter holiday weekend.”
