As well as better weather, pubs benefitted from events in the month including Mother’s Day and St Patrick’s Day. Trading was mitigated by the Easter weekend which fell in March last year but April this year.
The Tracker also showed that for the fourth month in a row, pubs outperformed restaurants, which had a more challenging March with like-for-like sales slipping by 5.7%.
It also revealed that managed groups’ like-for-like sales across all eating-out and drinking-out channels were down by 0.6% in March.
Subdued first quarter
The Tracker said this completed a “subdued” first quarter of 2025 for operators, as consumers remain cautious about their spending. This was after a 1.3% year-on-year decline in sales in January and growth of just 0.1% in February.
Sales in bars were down by 9.2%, extending a long run of negative numbers, while the on-the-go channel achieved fractional growth of 0.1%, it said.
Total sales across all channels, including at venues opened by groups in the last 12 months, were 1.8% ahead of March 2024 - below the UK’s wider rate of inflation of 2.6% in March 2025. (Consumer Prices Index).
Better weather in the south of England meant trading was slightly better in London than elsewhere. Groups’ sales inside the M25 were ahead by 1.1% year-on-year, but further afield they were 1.1% behind.
Patchy consumer confidence
CGA by NIQ director hospitality operators and food EMEA Karl Chessell said: “It’s clear patchy consumer confidence is compromising spending in hospitality.
“However, a bright March for pubs suggests people are still going out in good numbers, especially when there are special occasions to celebrate, and the Easter weekend should make for more favourable comparisons in April."
He added: “Nevertheless, with operators’ costs rising again this month and wider economic concerns mounting, the trading environment is likely to remain challenging throughout the second quarter.”
RSM UK head of leisure and hospitality Saxon Moseley said the “Record-breaking Spring sunshine” gave pubs a welcome boost.
Moseley continued: “This was the final month of trading before a significant uplift in employment and business tax costs and will have left many operators fearing the worst heading into April.
“Economic and geopolitical uncertainty will continue to weigh on consumer confidence and without intervention, we do expect an increase in site closures and insolvencies in the sector in the coming months.”
