Wet weather dampens managed hospitality venue sales in October

Britain’s leading hospitality groups saw year-on-year growth slow to 3.2% in October amid widespread poor weather, according to data from CGA.

It is a 13th consecutive month of like-for-like growth for managed restaurants, pubs and bars however, it represents a slowdown from a 5.9% rise in September.

The data shows a brighter month for pubs, with fans watching the Rugby World Cup helping to lift sales 5.0% above October 2022.

Managed restaurants had a softer month with growth of only 2.7%, while the bar segment endured another difficult month, with sales down by 7.8%.

For the 18th month in a row, groups achieved better growth in London than the rest of the country with like-for-like sales within the M25 up 4.8%, compared to 2.7% elsewhere.

Karl Chessell, director, hospitality operators and food, EMEA at CGA by NIQ, said: “Thirteen successive months of year-on-year growth amid a cost of living crisis is encouraging, but there is no escaping the fact that rises are being driven by price rises and remain below inflation.

“The weather made for challenging trading conditions in many parts of the country, offsetting boosts from occasions like the Rugby World Cup and Halloween. Consumer demand for hospitality remains high, but venues will have to be at the top of their game to achieve real-terms growth over the crucial run-in to Christmas.”