Longer Social Occasions Sustain Spend as Drinking Moderation Continues to Shape UK On Trade
New insight from The Oxford Partnership suggests UK consumers remain highly engaged with pubs, bars and hospitality occasions despite softer drinks volume performance, as longer visits and elevated spend continue to support trading across the sector.
April trading data indicates that while operators continue to face a challenging economic backdrop, consumer appetite for social occasions remains resilient. Occupancy levels increased to 65.5%, up +3.4 percentage points year on year, while average dwell time rose sharply to 157 minutes, an increase of 11 minutes compared with April last year.
Spend per head also remained elevated at £26.89, broadly holding the record level reached in March.
However, rising spend should be viewed in context. Continued price inflation and operators passing through higher costs mean stronger spend figures do not necessarily translate into improved profitability, particularly where drinks volumes remain under pressure
However, beneath these encouraging engagement metrics, drinks consumption continues to tell a more cautious story.
Total volumes declined -2.1% year on year during April, while Rate of Sale fell -0.8%, reinforcing the growing disconnect between consumer engagement and drinking intensity.
The findings support a wider trend emerging across the UK On Trade in 2026. Consumers are continuing to prioritise hospitality and social experiences, but occasions are increasingly being shaped by moderation and broader experience-led behaviour, with food and social connection becoming more central to visits.
Category performance also points towards increasingly selective consumer behaviour. Stout once again emerged as the strongest performer, growing +7.6% on a moving annual basis, while World Lager continued to outperform with growth of +3.5%. In contrast, more traditional volume-led categories remained under pressure, with Core Lager declining -6.0% and World 4% Lager falling -6.7%, highlighting how consumer preferences continue to evolve.
Alison Jordan, CEO of The Oxford Partnership, said: “The market continues to demonstrate resilience, but resilience now looks different to what we may historically have expected. Consumers are still making time for hospitality and social occasions remain important, but we’re increasingly seeing people engage differently once they are there.
“People are staying longer, venues remain busy and spend levels are holding up well. However, higher spend does not automatically mean stronger returns for operators. Cost pressures remain significant and consumers are often paying more while drinking less, creating a more complex trading environment than headline figures alone might suggest.”
With summer approaching, the sector will now look to warmer weather and major occasions to help convert strong consumer