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Drinks sales in the UK dropped 2% in the week ended 2 March compared to the same period last year, according to data from CGA.
This follows a 5% drop over the previous seven days, and three weeks of flat or marginal growth before that.
Despite this, beer sales were up 1% and cider sales were up 0.1% making them ahead of the equivalent period in 2023 for the sixth consecutive week.
Wet weather dampened sales and it was another modest weekend of trading, with sales down by 2% year-on-year on both 1 and 2 March.
The spirits category continues to run far behind other segments, with sales down by 11% year-on-year.
Jonathan Jones, CGA by NIQ’s managing director, UK and Ireland, said: “February was another challenging month for suppliers and operators, with consumers’ confidence still very much in recovery. While LAD categories have been fairly resilient this year, the changes we have seen in the market landscape and the shifting dynamics of occasions that consumers are visiting for, have made sales growth more challenging for Spirits.
“With Spring, St Patrick’s Day, UK public holidays and some big sporting occasions all looming, and the weather hopefully brightening, we can be hopeful that consumers’ spending will pick up soon.”
