The exclusive report blends CGA’s volumetric data with expert consumer research to deliver actionable insights into people’s On-Premise behaviours and preferences. It sets out the scale of opportunities between now and New Year, with important lessons from the 2024 season, when three quarters (75%) of consumers visited a pub, bar, restaurant or other licensed venue. This was 2 percentage points more than in 2023, and it contributed to like-for-like sales growth of 3.2% for managed operators last December.
On-Premise businesses can be optimistic about a similar boost to sales this Christmas, but consumer intentions show a mixed picture. CGA by NIQ’s latest GB Pulse reports reveals that 40% of consumers plan to go out to bars, restaurants or similar venues between 24th and 26th December, while 44% say they will not.
Consumers planning for their festive occasions is already underway. Nearly 15% have already booked their Christmas party or meal at a venue, and 17% are attending one that has already been booked by someone else. A further 27% intend to make a booking, while 12% plan to attend a party or meal that hasn’t yet been booked—creating opportunities for venues to capture undecided guests.
Frequency of visits will vary: 44% expect to go out once or twice in December, 27% plan weekly visits, and 13% anticipate going out three to five times a week. Only 2% say they will go out every day, while 13% do not plan to go out at all—highlighting the need for compelling offers to convert occasional visitors into repeat customers.
LAD and soft drinks up, wine down
Data from 2024 suggests likely winners will include the Long Alcoholic Drinks category. This achieved a year-on-year sales uplift of 2.8% in December 2024, and the Daily Drinks Tracker shows it has continued to outpace other segments throughout 2025. Stout and premium lager have been the biggest sub-category winners, and similar movement can be expected this Christmas.
Some of the LAD category’s gains in festive spend came from wine, where sales dropped by 2.3% in 2024. Celebratory occasions bring chances to drive Champagne and sparkling varieties, but with a large proportion of festive drinkers chasing value in longer serves, suppliers will have to work hard to reinvigorate wine this Christmas.
Other categories with high potential include soft drinks. Sales here rose by 0.9% last December, and with the moderation trend continuing there will be opportunities to exceed that figure this year.
Growth for vodka, rum and cream liqueurs
The spirits category achieved only modest growth of 1.0% last December, and it has faced a challenging environment in 2025—but Christmas occasions bring the chance to end the year on a high. Return on sale during the four-week festive period was 39.2% higher than the average for the rest of 2024, with cream liqueurs nearly doubling their average, thanks in part to the popularity of the Baby Guinness.
Other sub-category winners from 2024 included vodka and golden rum, which added 0.7 and 0.6 percentage points of spirits share respectively, while gin lost out. Festive positioning and innovation should help brands in these and other segments generate more growth this Christmas.
Festive drinks and value
Last Christmas reveals more insights into people’s likely drinks choices in the coming weeks. Trends included an increase in the number of consumers favouring vodka, craft beer and hot non-alcoholic drinks, and a growing awareness of festive versions of classic cocktails.
The data also flags the importance of value as a sales driver in 2025. Polarisation in spending this year means more guests are likely to want value-driven promotions like meal deals, happy hours and discounts. Nevertheless, many consumers remain ready to pay extra for a higher quality drink, and novelty is an important factor too, with around half likely to try new or different drinks over the festive season.
CGA by NIQ’s Christmas Report delivers many more insights into consumers’ habits over Christmas and New Year, helping On–Premise suppliers and operators optimise festive sales and marketing strategies. To discover more and discuss opportunities for expert bespoke analysis, click here and contact the CGA by NIQ team.
