Food and drink sales recover in UK city centres

Restaurant, pub and bar trading in the UK has seen “solid” growth as out-of-home food and drink sales in all of Britain’s 10 biggest city centres have recorded growth over the four weeks to 4 June 2022, according to new CGA and Wireless Social. Sales were between 1% and 13% higher than in the corresponding four-week period in 2019 in each city, marking the first time that all 10 cities have been in growth since the report began at the start of 2022. According to the report, Glasgow tops the list of most vibrant cities, ahead of Bristol and Manchester, while Edinburgh moves up four places to fourth. London, where workers and tourists have been slow to return after Covid-19 restrictions eased, grew its sales for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The capital also saw its best performance for log-ins, climbing from sixth to fourth place for this metric, likely due to the impact of the Jubilee period. However, log-ins remain “well down” in all 10 cities compared to 2019, indicating that growth is being driven by higher spend-per-visit rather than footfall. Cities dropping down the rankings in the latest four-week period include Birmingham and Liverpool. Chris Jeffrey, CGA client director, said: “Restaurants, pubs and bars have been instrumental in the revival of Britain’s cities since the end of lockdowns, and it is pleasing to see them in growth in all ten of the biggest centres. The slow but steady recovery of sales in London is particularly encouraging. “However, city-centre footfall clearly remains some way short of the levels of 2019, and high inflation is making it hard for businesses to achieve growth in real terms. As cost pressures squeeze consumers’ spending, we can expect some challenging trading conditions as we move into the second half of 2022.” Julian Ross, founder and CEO of Wireless Social, added: “It’s fantastic to see the sector bouncing back and showing signs of growth. The fact that major hubs, like London, are beginning to pick up is hugely encouraging. “It’s vital that communities are supporting hospitality when and where they can, to protect and support the industry in what is continuing to be a hugely challenging period.”