Cider sales down 20% amid wet weather

The latest Daily Drinks Tracker from CGA by NIQ, formerly the Drinks Recovery Tracker, revealed cider sales in managed venues were down 20% in the seven days to Saturday 12 August compared with the same period last year.

Sales of beer and wine were up 2% and 14% across the week respectively, while spirits sales were down 7% and soft drinks fell 8%.

Modest recovery 

Overall, value sales across managed outlets were largely in decline during this period vs last year.

Though the downturn was not as “severe” as the previous week’s low of -6%,​ with “modest recovery” as the weather improved towards the end of the week in addition to sporting events bringing people to pubs, CGA added.

Year-on-year sales were down by 15% on the Tuesday (8 August) but brightened a little on Thursday with a 3% increase as temperature rose.

However, sales fell again on the Friday (11 August), down 1%, before ending more positively on Saturday 12 with an upswing of 5%, helped by the return of the Premier League and Anthony Joshua’s fight at Wembley.

Poor conditions 

This comes as the latest Coffer CGA Business Tracker from CGA by NIQ​ in partnership with the Coffer Group showed managed venues had performed “below market average” in July, attributed to stagnant temperatures and wet weather​.

CGA managing director UK and Ireland Jonathan Jones said: “While challenges driven by poor weather conditions persist, there are promising signs of resilience and adaptability in the sector and it’s great to see that the week finished on a high note.

“The return of the Premier League has no doubt helped and the trends show that consumers are still keen to come out into trade, given a good reason to do so.”