Beer and cider boost British on-trade drinks sales

Widespread warm weather across Britain created year-on-year growth for on-premise drinks sales on every day of last week, with beer and cider leading the trend.

CGA by NIQ’s Drinks Recovery Tracker revealed that average sales in managed venues in the week to Saturday 17 June were 7% ahead of the same week in 2022.

Trading peaked at +12% on Monday and Saturday (12 and 17 June) and was weakest at +1% on Friday (16 June).

Cider and beer sales were up by 25% and 10% respectively year-on-year, leading the growth of on-trade sales, while soft drinks were 8% ahead. In contrast, wine sales were only 1% ahead of last year’s figures, and spirits dropped 7% as some consumers decided to switch categories, the data shows.

Jonathan Jones, CGA’s managing director, UK and Ireland, called it a “good start to the summer for drinks sales”.

He said: “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.”

Ongoing warm weather has lifted On Premise drinks sales into year-on-year growth for the eighth week in a row.

However, last week’s 7% year-on-year rise is a drop from the 15% growth of the previous seven days. New ONS figures show that inflation stands at 8.7%, meaning the week’s sales were slightly behind in real terms.

In other news, a new report from Barclays has revealed that under-25s in the UK are spending significantly more when going out to eat and drink than they were last year.

The data shows that adults under-25 are spending 28% more in pubs and bars, and 26% more on eating out, than they did in 2022 – both rises being well beyond the level of inflation. Read more here.