Mild post-festive hangover for UK pubs and restaurant sales

Tuesday 14th February 2012

Leading UK pub and restaurant groups saw collective like-for-like sales fall 2.1% in January against the same month last year. However, total sales, which include the effect of new openings, were still ahead 2.2% on January 2011.

The figures come from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker, the industry sales monitor for the UK pub and restaurant sector, which collects monthly performance data from 23 major operators.

The market recorded collective like-for-likes up 9.9% in December on the same period last year, with total sales ahead 13.7%.

The research outlines that sales in January 2011 benefited from a bounce-back in spending after a poor, snow-hit December, when many people stayed home. As ever, the weather, and in particular snow, is a major influence on trading, as the sector has already experienced in the first week of February this year.

“The market won’t be too disappointed by these latest set of numbers, as they come on the back of a bumper December and in a traditionally quiet trading month,” said Peter Martin of Peach Factory, the business intelligence specialist that produces the sector Tracker, in partnership with KPMG, UBS and the Coffer Group.

“Restaurant and pub operators are generally optimistic about prospects for their businesses this year. Despite all the economic difficulties of the past two years, the market has shown real resilience, with the public still willing to go out to eat and drink. Sales figures have been positive for the majority of that time,” added Mr. Martin.

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