On Premise drinks sales have fallen year-on-year for the fifth week in a row, CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker shows—but there are welcome signs that May will be a brighter month for operators and suppliers.
Average sales in managed venues for the week to last Saturday (4 May) were 4% behind the equivalent period in 2023. It extends a run of trading that has seen small year-on-year drops of between 0.2% and 6% since early April.
For the second successive week, drinks sales suffered from patchy weather in many parts of Britain. They also faced tough comparisons with a sunny first week of May in 2023, when sales were inflated by the inclusion of a Bank Holiday weekend.
While daily sales were well behind 2023 for the first part of the week, the performance was much better in the second half. Year-on-year sales were up by 6% and 13% on Wednesday and Thursday (1 and 2 May), and they soared by 22% on Saturday—partly because of better weather and partly because it was the start of the 2024 May Bank Holiday weekend. This was despite comparisons with a day that brought a big boost to sales during the King’s Coronation.
Long Alcoholic Drinks (LAD) categories fared best last week, with beer sales up 1% and cider down only 1%. Soft drinks were down 7% and wine up 1%, but spirits endured another difficult week, as sales dropped 19% year-on-year.
“Bank Holidays always make year-on-year comparisons tricky, sales trends have exhibited greater volatility owing to irregular rainfall throughout April”, says Jonathan Jones, CGA by NIQ’s managing director, UK and Ireland. “Nevertheless, suppliers and operators should be encouraged by strong trading in the first few days of May, which suggests some consumers are starting to spend more. With warmer weather arriving at last and forecasts of more to come, we can expect some favourable conditions—especially for venues with gardens and terraces.”
The Daily Drinks Tracker provides analysis of sales at managed licensed premises across Britain and is part of CGA by NIQ’s suite of research services delivering in-depth data on category, supplier and brand rate of sale performance. To learn more, click here, or contact Jonathan Jones, CGA by NIQ Managing Director, here.
