Despite the nation’s high hopes, the weather proved to be up and down in the On Trade over the recent August Bank Holiday.
45.3 million pints were sold across the 3-day weekend this year, representing growth in Draught Beer & Cider sales of +3.3% vs. the equivalent Bank Holiday weekend in 2023.
The high point of the weekend was Saturday, which saw sales growth of +6.9% vs. 2023, likely driven by the array of sporting events occurring over the day. England defeated Sri Lanka in the first Test Match at Old Trafford, while the second weekend of English Premiership games got underway with exciting ties between Brighton v Manchester Utd, Tottenham v Everton and many others.
The average pub served 1,195 pints of Draught Beer and Cider over the Bank Holiday, equating to a £5,831 income generator, although that may have been dampened slightly by the variable weather conditions across the 3 days.
The overall growth in Beer and Cider sales was primarily driven by the Ale & Stout categories this weekend, particularly Ale which was up +20.0% and Stout, which was up +28.5%. The Cider category suffered, as it oftens does during variable weather conditions, driven by a decline in sales of -15.7% for Apple Cider, propped up by a small growth of +0.9% for Fruit Cider.
With regard to footfall into hospitality venues, the numbers were fairly flat over the weekend vs. 2023, a -0.1% decline overall, driven by slightly smaller visit numbers to Urban & Rural locations. Saturday had the highest number of visits to outlets overall, albeit marginally less than in 2023, down -2.0%, whilst Friday was flat YoY -0.1% and Sunday was slightly up +3.3% vs. 2023. City Centres had the best weekend with overall footfall +0.5%, whilst the variable weather kept a few people away from Rural areas -0.3%.
There was some good news on the consumer front however, in that average in-outlet dwell time grew +4.1% over the weekend, driven by City Centre locations +7.4%, (which corresponded with the slight gains in footfall over the bank holiday). Suburban Outlets also saw marginal dwell time growth of +0.8% but their footfall was flat. Unfortunately, Rural areas struggled slightly and saw shorter visits -1.7% compared to 2023.
So overall, it was a broadly positive weekend for the UK On Trade but one that was slightly underwhelming compared to what may have been with better weather conditions.
Oxford Partnership’s CEO, Alison Jordan, commented:
“We were really hopeful for a strong Bank Holiday for the trade because of all of the sport but sadly the variable weather left us a bit disappointed, and the knock-on effect was a marginally positive but somewhat un-inspirational weekend for sales. At least Saturday provided a little respite. Here’s hoping for some sunnier weather to lift spirits – and sales! – very soon”
