Damp weather softens drinks sales in early May
The following week, ended 17 May, was a little better for sales with marginal year-on-year growth in drinks sales of 0.3%
Damp weather in the UK caused drinks sales in managed venues to fall 8% year-on-year in the week ended 10 May, according to data from CGA.
This followed a strong Spring where sales were ahead of last year’s level for 10 out of 11 weeks between February and late April, while the beer and cider categories flourished.
All major drinks categories were behind, with cider down 14%, spirits down 11% and wine down 9% as sales came up against strong comparatives in the previous year.
The following week, ended 17 May, was a little better for sales with marginal year-on-year growth in drinks sales of 0.3%.
Trading jumped by 10% and 15% on Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 May and was largely flat on other days. Cider finished with 10% growth, but spirits (down 5%) and wine (down 9%) had another challenging week.
Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial lead, UK and Ireland, said: “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.
“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.”
