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Bars outshine pubs in festive trading

Following 11 months of sales declines, bars in Britain outperformed pubs and restaurants in the run-up to Christmas.

Revolution Bars Group
Revolution Bars Group operates 65 venues across the UK

A special weekly edition of the CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker collected sales figures from 115 managed pub, bar and restaurant groups across Britain for 16-22 December 2024, which were compared with 18-24 December the previous year.

Managed bar groups have had a tough 2024, with the Hospitality Business Tracker showing sales declines for 11 consecutive months (January-November 2024). In November, sales for bar groups fell by 4.6%, following a drop of 4.7% in the previous month.

However, bar chains managed to get a pre-Christmas boost with sales for the week ending 22 December soaring by 18.7%. On a like-for-like basis, which records the revenue of the same number of bars in 2023 compared with 2024, bar sales for the week were up by 20.5%.

CGA attributed the double-digit gain to Christmas parties, late-night sporting events and the ‘convenient’ scheduling of bank holidays. It highlighted that consumers continue to ‘make the most of special occasions’.

Collectively, pub, bar and restaurant chains recorded a sales increase of 4.4% over the seven-day period (up by 2.7% on a like-for-like basis).

Restaurants and pubs also managed to grow their sales in the week before Christmas but not to the same level as bars, posting gains of 5.3% and 0.8% respectively.

CGA noted that the crucial Christmas period for the on-trade is ‘carrying the burden to make up for strained trading in the previous year and bolster business for the year ahead’.

The hospitality sector is set to face increased costs in April 2025 when National Insurance contributions from employers rise to 15%, following the autumn budget announcement.

Bar chains such as Nightcap, Revolution, Simmons, Snug Bar and The Alchemist participated in the latest edition of the CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker.

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