In June hospitality sales saw the highest year-on-year increase so far in 2023 with a 7.8% uplift, according to the latest S4labour data.
This spike is largely due to London sales, which were 15.7% ahead of 2022 levels, whilst non-London saw an uplift of 6.0%.
Food and drink were split fairly evenly outside of London, with 6.2% and 5.9% year-on-year growth respectively. The capital was driven by a 16.2% increase in drink sales, with food sales growth sitting just below that at 14.9%. This comes after temperatures were consistently high throughout June, reaching 32 degrees in some parts of England. It’s likely many spent a great deal of time outdoors, enjoying food and drinks in pubs and restaurants.
Chief Growth Officer at S4labour, Richard Hartley, commented: “In line with rising temperatures, this is what we would expect to see as this June was the hottest to date. This quarter has seen solid growth on 2022 sales, with April at 3.3% and May at 2.7%. As we move into the second half of the year, good weather and holidays should continue to work towards offsetting inflation and rising interest rates.”
