On-trade drinks sales have fallen year on year for three straight weeks after consumers sweltered in uncomfortably high temperatures, NIQ’s latest Daily Drinks Tracker shows.
Average sales in managed venues in the week to Saturday, 15th August, fell by 3.7% from the same week in 2025. That was followed by a year-on-year dip of 0.3% in the next seven days to 22nd August.
Adding in inflation makes these steeper drops in real terms. The latest figures mean that year-on-year sales fell for five straight weeks after the end of the football World Cup in mid-July.
Very high temperatures in August prompted some consumers to stay close to home or switch their pub and bar visits to other open-air destinations. Footfall may also have been affected by the splurge in spending during the World Cup, which led many fans to tighten their outgoings in the weeks afterwards.
The Tracker, powered by CGA intelligence, shows daily sales were down particularly sharply during the middle few days of August, when temperatures peaked. However, trading picked up towards the end of the heatwaves, with year-on-year sales up on four of the six days between Monday 17th and Saturday 22nd August.
The weather affected most major categories, with cider the only one to grow sales (by 2.6% and 0.7% over the two weeks) as consumers sought refreshment from long cold serves. Beer (down 5.2% and up 1.5%) was slightly weaker. Soft drinks (down 0.9% and up 4.0%) had a mixed fortnight. It was another challenging period for spirits (down 17.4% and 11.6%) and wine (down 11.9% and 2.2%).
“Warm weather is usually good news for pubs, bars, and drinks suppliers, but recent heatwaves may have been too much for some consumers,” said Rachel Weller, NIQ’s commercial lead, UK and Ireland. “Venues without outdoor spaces will have found it hardest to attract guests, and the wine and spirits categories have been particularly affected by the shift towards longer serves.
“Consumers’ economic uncertainty has added further to the challenges for the on-premise over the summer. Respite from the heat will hopefully bring better footfall, but real-terms growth is likely to remain difficult for many.”
