On-trade drinks sales fell year on year in the second half of January as consumers kept a lid on their spending after Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker shows average sales in managed venues in the week to Saturday, 24th January, were 3.1% behind the same week in 2025. This was followed by a 2.5% drop in the seven days to 31st January. It means sales were down year on year in three of the first four full weeks of 2026.
As well as cautious spending, on-trade footfall has been curtailed by rainy weather and Dry January pledges. It has led to losses across all of the main drinks categories, with spirits (down by 7.5% and 7.6% in the two weeks to 24th and 31st January) the hardest hit. After a difficult trading environment in 2025, January’s data suggests it is likely to be another challenging year for spirits.
Other alcoholic categories have been performing in line with the market, with beer sales down by 4% and 3.7% in the two weeks. Cider and wine fell by 2.5% and 2.8% respectively.
Soft drinks performed the best of the five major categories, boosted by some consumers seeking non-alcoholic alternatives during Dry January. Their sales were down by only 0.3% in the week to 24th January, and by 1.2% in the seven days to 31st January.
“January’s figures suggest conditions remain tough for on-premise operators and suppliers,” said Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial lead, UK & Ireland.
“As well as slow sales, some businesses also face the prospect of further cost increases in 2026, including through rates, and their margins will be tightly squeezed.
“Widespread rain will also have hurt footfall in early February, and businesses will now be hoping that big celebrations, like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Easter, will stimulate some much-needed extra demand over the next few weeks.”
