Drinks sales 9% ahead of 2019
Soaring temperatures during the week saw the heat turned up on drinks sales with year-on-year performance up 13%.
However, CGA stated this was an inflated figure due to the weekly performance in 2021 having been down 5% on pre-Covid levels.
Furthermore, while the week showed promising sales figures for hospitality venues, the sector has continued to struggle amid rocketing costs and inflation, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recently having exceeded 10%.
Welcome news
CGA managing director UK and Ireland Johnathan Jones said: “The effects of the second heatwave vs much cooler conditions in 2019 were positive on every day of the week except Saturday.
“Consumers flocked to beer gardens and terraces to enjoy temperatures that were much more enjoyable than the blistering heatwave we experienced in July.
“As the spectre of the cost-of-living crisis continues to escalate and inflation rates shoot up to a 40-year high, it’s welcome news for the on premise.”
Six of the seven days were in 2022-on-2019 growth, with Sunday starting the week up 9%, while Monday saw growth of 21%.
Tuesday then dipped slightly, up 14%, before Wednesday ramped back up, with the strongest performance of the week at 24% though Thursday dropped to just 4%, likely due to A-level results falling on this day in 2019, while Friday saw growth of 12%.
However, Saturday closed the week on a disappointing -2%, despite continued searing weather, with comparison to the first full day of Premier League fixtures in 2019 potentially accounted for the deficit.
Appetite of consumers
Category wise cider continued to dominate in the hot weather, with an uplift of 45% vs 2019.
Softs also generated a 15% growth while beer, up 10%, also had a good week, though wine and spirits lagged behind at -19% and +8% respectively.
This follows last week's tracker, which showed drinks sales were 4% ahead of 2019 in the seven days to Saturday 6 August.
Speaking regarding the previous tracker, Jones said: “With temperatures forecasted to soar, the appetite of casual consumers, holiday makers and day trippers will hopefully deliver strong August results.
“This will hopefully provide a welcome relief amidst the headwinds that operators and suppliers are increasingly facing, in terms of inflation, rising costs, and ongoing supply chain issues and staffing challenges.”
