CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker shows average sales in managed venues in the seven days to Saturday 28 December were 4.4% ahead of the same period in 2023. In the following week to Saturday 4 January, growth was even higher at 7.5%.
The late surge in trading followed negative numbers in the first half of December when storms kept people at home in some parts of the country.
The best performing days of the festive period were Christmas eve, which saw an uplift of 65% compared to last year, and New Years eve, out -performing 2023 by 373%.
It was a good final fortnight for the Long Alcoholic Drinks (LAD’s) and wine categories. Beer sales were up by 6.9% and 14.5% in the weeks to 28 December and 4 January, while cider sales rose 3.6% and 9.8% respectively. Beer was boosted by a surge of interest in Guinness, leading to well-publicised shortages in some pubs in the run-up to Christmas.
Wine also achieved big gains of 8.4% and 13.8% in the two weeks but the late festive celebrations were not enough to revive the spirits category at the end of a challenging 2024, with sales down by 4.1% and 14.0%.
Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial lead, UK & Ireland, said, “It’s always tricky to make year-on-year comparisons at this time of year, but these numbers provide cautious confidence that the On Premise can end 2024 on a high.
“However, suppliers and venues will need the tailwinds of decent weather and a pick-up in consumer confidence to generate real-terms growth. With many consumers choosing longer LAD serves over short ones like shots, it’s also clear that businesses will need to provide spending-conscious consumers with full value for money to keep them coming back over Christmas.”