CGA by NIQ’s Drinks Recovery Tracker shows average sales in managed venues in the week to last Saturday (17 June) were 7% ahead of the same week in 2022. However, this is a drop from the 15% growth of the previous seven days, and with new ONS figures showing inflation stands at 8.7% it means the week’s sales were slightly behind in real terms.
Widespread sunny weather created year-on-year growth on every day of last week, with beer gardens and terraces benefiting most. Trading peaked at +12% on Monday and Saturday (12 and 17 June) and was weakest at +1% on Friday (16 June).
As has been the case for several weeks now, Long Alcoholic Drinks (LAD) categories fared best in the high temperatures. Cider and beer sales were up by 25% and 10% respectively year-on-year, while soft drinks were 8% ahead. By contrast, wine sales were only 1% ahead and spirits were down by 7% as some consumers switched categories.
“It has been a good start to the summer for drinks sales,” says Jonathan Jones, CGA’s managing director, UK and Ireland. “It’s important to remember that excessive temperatures can keep some people at home, but for beer and cider brands and pubs with outdoor spaces it’s been a very strong first half of June. With news this week of continued high inflation and another interest rates rise, operators and suppliers will be hoping consumers can maintain their confidence in the weeks ahead.”
“It has been a good start to the summer for drinks sales,” says
CGA’s Drinks Recovery Tracker monitors managed outlet sales as the drinking-out market continues to recover, providing category, supplier and brand rate of sale performance. Suppliers and operators that want to track the recovery of drinks sales, benchmark performance or identify changes in trends and consumer preferences should contact Jonathan.Jones@nielseniq.com.
