The surge was attributed to both the Six Nations tournament and favourable weather conditions.
Sales grew by 10.6% from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 March, compared to the same weekend in 2024 and were 27.7% higher than the average weekend this year.
Over the weekend, 34.1m pints were also sold, with the average pub serving 902 pints over three days.
Pubs generated a total of £4,581 in revenue and sold an additional 87 pints on average compared to 2024. Scottish fans lead the charge at 90 pints, English fans followed at 43 pints, while Welsh fans saw a slight decline at 4 pints.
The opening weekend saw fans flocking to on trade sites, with a staggering total of over 16m pints poured.
Category standouts
World Lager was the standout performer, growing 24.6% year-on-year and accounting for 18.0% of all draught sales. Other drink categories also performed well, with stout up 15.5%, apple cider growing 16.2% and fruit cider increasing 19.5%.
Premium lager also rose 13.8%. Strong sales were also supported by a notable rise in footfall, which increased by 10.1% overall. Sunday proved to be the most successful day, with footfall peaking at 34.2% during the England v Italy match.
Regional variations
Regional variations played a key role, with suburban and rural pubs seeing the highest increases. City centre dwell times also rose by 10.1%, while suburban venues saw an increase of 14.1%.
Pubs that screened live sports significantly benefited, with average visit times extending to 164 minutes compared to 144 minutes in those that did not. With Rural pubs recording the highest growth at 15.1%.
Oxford Partnership CEO Alison Jordan said: “These figures highlight the powerful impact of major sporting events and good weather on UK hospitality.”
She added: “With the Six Nations driving footfall and increased consumer spending, the sector is enjoying strong momentum despite wider economic pressures.”
