Hospitality sales for December were down 12% compared to December 2019.
Both drink and food sales experienced declines, with sales down 11.5% and 13% respectively.
London sites’ sales were hit the hardest as like-for-likes fell by 23% on 2019 levels. Non-London sites also saw downfalls, however by a lesser figure of 10%.
As for specific dates, London’s sales dropped on all occasions on 2019 levels:
- Christmas Eve sales down 38%, with drink-led sales down 40%
- Christmas Day sales down 23.5%
- Boxing Day sales down 25%
- New Year’s Eve sales down 11.5%
Non-London sites, however, were much less affected on specific holiday occasions — Christmas Eve saw food driven like-for-likes increase by 3.5% while Christmas Day’s overall sales were down 11.5% on 2019 for sites outside of the capital.
Richard Hartley, S4labour’s Chief Innovation Officer, said: “December has been an incredibly difficult month for the sector yet again. As we enter further into the new year, it is important that no more restrictions are imposed on the sector.”
