UK drinks sales bounce back at end of February
According to CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker, sales were ‘comfortably ahead’ and peaked at 14% on 28 February
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Britain’s on premise drinks sales have closed out the winter with three successive weeks of above-inflation growth, CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker has revealed.
After a “challenging” January and early February, sales recovered in the third week of February and momentum has continued. The tracker indicates growth of 4% in the week to 1 March, as good weather moved in and February pay cheques unlocked some extra spending.
Sales were “comfortably ahead” on six of the seven days of the week, and peaked at 14% on 28 February.
Even stronger trading followed in the following week to Saturday 8 March, as sales ran 8% ahead of the equivalent period in 2024. There was a bumper growth of 14% on 8 March, when the sunniest day of the year so far brought people out of their homes.
The warmer temperatures and Six Nations rugby fixtures made it a “very good” fortnight for Long Alcoholic Drinks (LAD) categories. Beer sales were up by 5% and 9% in the weeks to 1 and 8 March, while cider performed even better, at 7% and 17% ahead.
Sales of soft drinks and wine were both ahead by at least 5% over the two-week period. Spirits were 5% down in the seven days to 1 March, but they enjoyed a fractional increase of 0.4% in the week to 8 March — the first year-on-year growth for a long time.
This growth can be attributed to the warmer weather, which has created more opportunities for cocktail consumption.
Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial lead, UK and Ireland, said: “After tough Winter trading conditions for suppliers and venues, these figures are hopefully a sign of brighter times to come. Sales were well above current rates of inflation across nearly all days and categories and with the triple celebrations of St Patrick’s Day and Mother’s Day to come, we can be cautiously optimistic about further real-terms growth.
“However, much will depend on the weather, consumer confidence is still volatile and some significant cost rises are looming. Businesses will have to stay laser-focused on people’s needs and On Premise trends to sustain sales and protect margins.”
