Drinks sales drop for fourth straight week
Beer sales were 4% up year-on-year, while cider and wine were 3% and 2% ahead respectively
Drinks sales in Britain’s pubs and bars have dropped 0.6% for the seven days ended 3 February, a fourth successive week of decline, with train strikes adding to the challenges facing operators.
Footfall was also hit by rolling train strikes, which contributed to year-on-year drops in sales of 11% on 30 January and 7% on 3 February, despite the opening games in the Six Nations rugby tournament.
However, trading was stronger in midweek, where sales were up by 10% and 5% on 31 January and 1 February, thanks in part to a programme of Premier League fixtures.
Beer sales were 4% up year-on-year, while cider and wine were 3% and 2% ahead respectively.
Soft drinks were down 2% while the spirits category’s performance improved week-on-week, sales were still down 13% year-on-year.
Jonny Jones, CGA by NIQ’s managing director, UK and Ireland, said: “Whilst four weeks of negative year-on-year trading is not the start to 2024 we were hoping for, it is encouraging to see that the declines have slowed to almost flat last week, despite some difficult trading conditions driven by train strikes.
“It’s great to see the Beer, Cider and Wine categories all showing value sales growth vs. last year. Our consumer research shows that demand is still strong and growing month-on-month, particularly for the core On Premise visitor who goes out once a week or more. So, with January now behind us and the Six Nations starting, there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic about the outlook for the sector.”
