Drinks sales back in growth as temperatures rise

Drinks sales bounced back into growth in the first full week of July thanks to widespread warm weather, according to data from CGA.

The data shows average sales in managed venues in the week to Saturday 12 July were 5% ahead of the same period in 2024. This is a strong turnaround from the previous seven days, when sales were down by 4%.

High temperatures led to spikes on several days, with year-on-year growth of 19% and 30% on Tuesday 8 and Thursday 10 July.

Figures were held down on some other days by tough comparatives with July 2024, when England were performing well in the men’s Euro football tournament. However, recent weeks have also benefited from the women’s version of the competition, which is having a positive impact on some pubs and bars.

As is usually the case during hot weather, LAD categories and soft drinks felt the biggest boost to sales. Cider soared 34% year-on-year, while beer rose 6%. Soft drinks joined cider in double-digit growth at 11%. However, some other categories struggled in the heat, with spirits dropping 2% and wine down 12%.

Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial lead, UK and Ireland, said: “It was a very welcome return to real-terms growth for On Premise operators and suppliers in the first full week of July.

“It also continues the pattern of an up-and-down year in which sales have fluctuated widely from week to week, and predicting what will come next is difficult. But if the sun shines we can be optimistic about a solid end to Summer, especially for beer and cider brands.”