According to CGA by NIQ, spirits sales in UK bars, pubs and restaurants are down from last year in the lead-up to Christmas.

Using its Daily Drinks Tracker, CGA found that sales in venues for the week of 17-23 November were down 9% compared with the same period in 2023.

‘Widespread chilly weather’ was noted as a possible cause for the drop, as parts of Britain dealt with the impact of storm Bert.

While all major drink categories recorded year-on-year sales losses, spirits were hit the hardest, suffering a 20% drop. In comparison, beer (5%) and wine (7%) faced less harsh falls.

Spirits sales in Britain’s on-trade also lagged behind other drink categories in the weeks building to Christmas last year, as well in the final two weeks of December.

Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial lead for the UK and Ireland, said: “The combination of patchy consumer confidence and unfavourable weather has extended autumn’s weak trading into winter.

“More positively, some managed groups continue to generate good growth, and brighter conditions should help to bring more people out to the on-trade. Operators and suppliers will be hoping that a slow November indicates consumers are saving up for a big spend on Christmas celebrations, rather than a sign of things to come in December.”

CGA’s Hospitality Market Monitor notes that pubs account for 36% of all licensed premises in Britain and its Pubtrack tool, which surveys the Great Britain pub market, has created five points to help businesses capitalise on pub opportunities.

High-street pubs are important for spirits, adding 0.8 percentage points of volume share in the past 12 months – the highest share gain of any segment. White rum and gin in particular have increased share here.

Moreover, spirits consumers are above-average visitors to Britain’s pubs, with 62% surveyed visiting food-led pubs. CGA also observed that spirits drinkers ‘tend to be more flexible and impulsive in their spending’, with 42% surveyed drinking multiple categories in one visit. This signifies they can be moved to spirits even if they start on other drinks.

Lastly, spirits drinkers are more open to experimentation – trying new products and flavour varieties – and premiumisation, where 44% of spirits consumers visiting both drink-led and food-led pubs agree they are likely to pay more for a better-quality drink in these venues.

At the same time, they want to know they will get full value for their spending, so it’s crucial to note the positioning and serve options for premium portfolios.

In other UK news, the government has begun spiking prevention training to on-trade staff.

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