The latest Daily Drinks Tracker from CGA by NIQ showed drinks sales by value in managed venues in the week to Saturday 13 July were 0.6% behind the equivalent period in 2023.
It marked the first negative number since mid-June as trade suffered by comparison to the warm weather of July 2023, when beer gardens and terraces were much fuller, with the previous tracker having shown sales were 6% up in the week to Saturday 6 July.
Huge boost
The tracker revealed sales on Wednesday 10 July rocketed 75% above the same day last year, as football fans headed to pubs to watch England defeat the Netherlands in the Euros 2024 semi-final.
However, trade was down on all six of the other days of the week, in particular on Friday and Saturday (12 and 13 July), when figures were down by 6% and 15% respectively, as many consumers chose to wait for Sunday’s Euro 2024 final before visiting the on-trade again.
Despite the Three Lions loss against Spain in the tournament final, the Euros 2024 gave a “huge boost” to the Long Alcoholic Drink (LAD) category, CGA said.
According to the data, beer and cider sales up by 6% and 4% respectively across the week, while the three other main categories measured by the tracker—wine (down 7%), soft drinks (down 7%) and spirits (down 10%)—all struggled by comparison with last year.
Careful eye
CGA by NIQ managing director UK & Ireland Jonathan Jones said: “England’s progress all the way to the Euro 2024 final has provided some bumper days for pubs, bars and beer and cider brands.
“However, a flat week overall shows drinks sales around sporting events are not necessarily incremental, and that trading is often taken away from other days.
“It’s a reminder that many consumers are still keeping a very careful eye on their spending, even during big national occasions.
“With the tournament over, venues and suppliers’ hopes for year-on-year growth will now be pinned on long-overdue warm weather.”
