The latest Daily Drinks Tracker from CGA by NIQ revealed year-on-year sales comparisons had sat between +1% and -1% for four weeks out of the last five, separated by short-lived growth around Halloween and Bonfire Night.
Five of the seven days brought small year-on-year growth, peaking at 5% on Wednesday (15 November).
Important period
However, weekend sales struggled to match the levels of November 2022, dropping 2.5% on Saturday (18 November) and rising just 0.5% on Friday (17 November).
CGA by NIQ managing director UK and Ireland Jonathan Jones said: “It’s been a flat Autumn for drinks sales since the end of the Rugby World Cup, making Christmas a more important period than ever for the On Premise.
“Hopefully it represents a lull before a December rush, rather than a sign of things to come, and news of National Insurance reductions in this week’s Autumn Statement may encourage consumers to relax their spending in the weeks ahead."
High costs
Year-on-year numbers were modest across four main drinks categories, beer (up 4%), cider (up 4%), wine (up 2%) and soft drinks (up 0.3%), but spirits (down 10%) had yet another challenging week.
Previously, Jones stated the festive season would be "make or break" for hospitality firms after a string of bad weather had disrupted trade in recent weeks.
He added: “Nevertheless, with costs still so high for individuals and businesses alike, suppliers and operators are going to have to work very hard to achieve growth over the festive season.”
