The Oxford Partnership’s April 2025 Market Watch Snapshot revealed total draught beer volumes in pubs, bars and restaurants has risen 5% in the past four weeks.
Driven by warmer weather and Easter trade, the figures provided a “much-needed lift in performance”, the real time market intelligence firm said.
Premium and world lager led the growth, up 12.8% and 18.5% respectively, reflecting a continued consumer shift toward premium offerings.
Stout remained solid, while craft beer saw a return to growth for the first time in several months.
Regionally, suburban and rural areas led the gains, while London and other city centres showed early signs of stabilisation.
Growing confidence
It comes as operators reported mixed trading over the Easter period, highlighting its timing and the weather having had an impact.
Oxford Partnership CEO Alison Jordan said: “This snapshot shows the power of seasonal moments in driving sector momentum.
“Easter and the early spring sunshine played a key role, but the underlying story is one of growing consumer confidence and a shift toward higher quality, more meaningful experiences when people choose to go out.”
The report also noted a stabilising trend in venue numbers as closures continued, but at a slower rate.
Trading hours also remained steady last month, with a slight year-to-date increase of 0.23%, suggesting cautious optimism among operators.
Customer behaviour supported this trend. Average dwell time rose by 14.3% in April (up 11.1% year-to-date), and outlet occupancy increased by 5.1% in the month.
Firmer footing
These figures point to a return to longer, more relaxed visits and greater utilisation of available venues, according to Oxford Partnership.
The latest spending data from Barclays UK further confirmed the uplift, with pubs and bars seeing a 6.6% increase in credit and debit card spend, while restaurants saw an 8.1% rise.
Spend per head also increased, with drinks up 5.5% and food up 7.3% year-to-date.
The latest Daily Drinks Tracker from CGA by NIQ also supports the figures, with average drinks sales by value in managed venues seeing double digit growth last month.
As the sector heads into summer, April’s results offer encouraging signs that the industry is on firmer footing, buoyed by both seasonal factors and evolving consumer preferences.
Sporting events are also set to have a positive impact this month, with data from Oxford Partnership previously estimating some 1.7m pints of beer could be poured on FA Cup final day on Saturday 17 May.
