Average sales in managed venues in the week to Saturday 14 June were 5% behind the same week in 2024, and losses widened to 7% in the following seven days to Saturday 21 June.
This follows similar mixed figures at the beginning of June which revealed that rain and low temperatures damaged footfall in much of the country.
CGA said this meant trading was negative in three of the four full weeks of the month.
However, it said this came on the back of a strong spring when trading was up year-on-year in nearly every week between February and late April.
Brighter weather
The Tracker’s daily breakdowns indicated some better spells of trading, including growth on three straight days from Monday 16 to Wednesday 18 June and Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 June. This coincided with brighter weather in many parts of the country, the Tracker said.
However, it added that daily numbers were down by double-digits on several other days. It said this was the result of cooler weather in some parts and tough comparatives with a hot June in 2024.
Cider and soft drinks delivered a solid fortnight, with cider sales up by 6% in the week to 14 June, but down by 9% in the week to 21 June. Soft drinks rose 6% and dipped 2% over the same periods. Beer was also down 6% and 5% respectively.
Challenges
The spirits and wine categories had a much tougher end to June with spirits sales down 11% and 12% in those two weeks, while wine was 15% and 13% behind.
CGA by NIQ commercial lead UK & Ireland Rachel Weller said: “After a bright spring, operators and suppliers have had to adapt to some sizeable challenges in recent weeks. Variable weather and hesitant consumer spending haven’t helped, and employers have also been forced to cope with sharp increases in costs since April.”
Weller added: “Despite this difficult environment, venues have achieved some robust growth in some categories and warmer days. This raises hopes that spending will increase over July and August, and the long-term outlook for well-run and responsive On Premise businesses remains good.”
