A turn in the weather left the on-trade struggling for year-on-year growth in the first half of May, CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker shows.
Operators and suppliers enjoyed a bright spring, with sales running ahead of last year’s level for ten out of 11 weeks between February and late April, and the beer and cider categories flourishing.
However, that good run came to a halt in the seven days to 10th May, when sales finished 8% behind the equivalent period in 2024.
Damp weather across much of Britain kept drinks sales down throughout the week, negating the benefits of a long bank holiday weekend. Better weather in 2024 also made for tough comparisons.
All major drinks categories were behind, with cider (down 14%), spirits (down 11%) and wine (down 9%) the worst hit. Beer (down 5%) was slightly brighter, thanks to brief breaks in the weather.
The tracker shows the following week, to 17th May, was a little better for the on-trade, with marginal year-on-year growth in drinks sales of 0.3%.
Trading jumped by 10% and 15% on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th May, and was largely flat on other days. Cider finished a rollercoaster fortnight with 10% growth, but spirits (down 5%) and wine (down 9%) had another challenging week.
“Spring and summer drinks sales are always tied closely to the weather, and after a warm April, May sales have dropped in line with the temperatures,” said Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial lead, UK and Ireland.
“The dip in early May also suggests that consumers’ confidence remains limited, and that some disposable incomes were used up during the sunshine. Nevertheless, the wider picture shows pubs have been on a good run, and suppliers can be optimistic for the key summer months — as long as the weather plays its part.”
