Drinks sales boosted by office return as bars slowly recover from Omicron hit
Drinks sold at pubs and bars in Britain edged closer to pre-pandemic levels, in levels not seen since last November.
Average drinks sales by value in managed pubs, bars and restaurants for the week to Saturday 29 January were eight per cent below the same period in 2020.
This was the first time the weekly comparison has dipped into single digits since November, before the emergence of the Omicron Covid variant, according to CGA’s latest Drinks Recovery Tracker.
Sales last Thursday and Saturday were just four per cent and six per cent behind 2020 levels, following the easing of the Covid measures introduced at the end of last year.
Office workers were instructed to work from home where possible while people were encouraged to reduce socialising in the run up to Christmas in a bid to dodge the virus.
Jonathan Jones, CGA’s managing director, UK and Ireland, said: “These figures leave us cautiously optimistic that pubs, bars and restaurants can build their sales over the coming weeks. Consumer confidence about going out is gradually recovering, and the end to work-from-home instructions and restrictions on clubs will boost night-time visits in particular.
He added: “Covid-19 challenges are far from over, sales are still well behind 2020 levels, and many people face a squeeze on disposable income. But after an immensely challenging December and January we can hopefully look forward to something of a recovery over February and beyond.”
Spirits performed well ahead of other types of drinks, a trend that started when Britain eased the rules of its first lockdown.
Spirits sales were three per cent up on the same week in 2020, driven by cocktail trends, whereas beer was down 12 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.