December 2019 Sales Figures

by | Jan 3, 2020 | Blogs, Sales Figures

-Like for like sales figures flatline for hospitality providers in December 2019.

 

According to analysis of more than 1,500 sites using S4labour software, overall like for like sales were static in December 2019, compared with the same month in 2018, falling by 0.1%.

 

There was positive like for like growth of 1.1% for sales of food in December 2019, however drinkers were more restrained than last year, resulting in a slip of 1.0% in drink sales.

 

Once again London outperformed the rest of the country, with an overall like for like growth of 1.2% compared to a fall of 0.3% outside London. One of the standout figures from December was a 4.2% growth in like for like sales for food orientated businesses inside the capital. Food orientated business outside London barely managed to grow at all, raising just 0.3%.

 

Figures that take the key festive dates of the 24th, 25th, 26th and the 31st in isolation show a much more vibrant picture of the sector, with an overall 3.9% like for like increase on the same days trading in 2018. While drink sales may have been sluggish for the month on the whole, drinks sales spiked 4.6% higher than the same dates in 2018. Surprisingly, it was wet-led sites outside of London that out performed those in the capital. Wet-led sites saw like for like sales up 6.8% over the key festive dates compared to 4.5% in London.

 

The success of the few days around Christmas suggests that people were more inclined to stay at home for much of the month, but were more willing to splash out on the biggest hospitality days of the year. It is possible that business may have missed opportunities throughout the month of December, focusing too heavily on the last week.

 

While the figures for retail are still being crunched, most analysts expect high street spending during December to fall again this year. The rise in online shopping may well have negatively impacted footfall for the hospitality sector also.

Other Articles You May Like...
One Shifters

One Shifters

We are a diverse industry in every way. With a licensed trade market of around 100,000 sites, and a licensed market of another at least 100,000 outlets, we are massive. We have sites in every town, many villages, and in most communities; whether we are a morning...

read more
Hospitality Sales See Solid Growth in April

Hospitality Sales See Solid Growth in April

Hospitality sales were up 5.1% in April compared to the same month last year, data from S4labour has revealed. The overall increase was driven by sales outside of the capital, with non-London seeing an uptick of 7.2%. Meanwhile, London saw a decline of 1.2%...

read more
Now is the Time to Get Better at Labour Planning

Now is the Time to Get Better at Labour Planning

This week, I had quite a disappointing conversation with an operator. He didn’t make that much money and lived above the pub, taking out around £200 a week. We sat down together and went through his numbers after April’s increase in national insurance (NI) and...

read more