World Cup and Summer Heat Drive Strongest Month of 2026 for UK Pubs and Bars
The latter stages of the FIFA World Cup and prolonged hot weather combined to deliver one of the strongest trading months of 2026 for the UK On Trade, according to the latest Market Watch from The Oxford Partnership and Vianet’s BevMetrics.
Total draught volumes increased by 3.9% compared with July 2025, while average Rate of Sale rose by 5.2%, marking a significant improvement on the softer volume performance recorded during the first half of the year.
The growth was achieved despite the number of operating venues falling from 100,436 to 98,795 over the past year. The remaining venues were considerably busier, with average occupancy increasing by 3.3 percentage points to 65.91%.
Consumers also stayed for longer, with average dwell time rising by 12 minutes year on year to 154 minutes. Average spend per head reached £26.91, up 3.4%, with food spend increasing by 4.7% and drink spend rising by 2.4%.
Alison Jordan, CEO of The Oxford Partnership, said: “July showed what the On Trade can achieve when major occasions and favourable weather come together. The World Cup gave consumers repeated reasons to visit pubs and bars, while the prolonged hot weather extended the opportunity across beer gardens, terraces and more spontaneous social occasions.
What is particularly encouraging is that this translated into tangible commercial growth. Venues did not simply attract more people or keep them for longer; they converted that engagement into higher draught volumes, stronger Rate of Sale and increased spend. With fewer venues operating than a year ago, this reinforces the importance of compelling occasions and helping operators maximise the entire visit across both food and drink.”
Growth was widespread geographically. London led the market, with draught volumes up 8.2% compared with July 2025, followed by suburban locations at 4.6% and rural areas at 3.9%. City locations recorded growth of 1.1%.
July has also improved the year-to-date outlook. Total draught volume is now just 0.4% behind last year, while Rate of Sale has moved into positive territory at 0.8%.
Longer-term category trends are also showing signs of improvement. Total category Rate of Sale has edged into growth at 0.1% on a Moving Annual Total basis, led by Stout at 7.3%, World Lager at 4.9% and Cider at 3.9%.
However, performance remains selective, with Core Lager and Premium 4% Lager both down 4.4%, Ale falling by 3.7% and Craft declining by 1.3%.
With the World Cup now concluded, August will provide an important test of how much momentum can be retained through the school holidays, summer social occasions and continued warm-weather opportunities.