This month, overall sales were up 3.2% compared to last year, led by a strong August for London, according to the latest S4labour sales data.
The Capital saw a solid increase of 9.9% across the board, with food and drink sales up 12% and 8.7% respectively.
Non-London saw a 4.7% increase in food, but drink sales dropped by 0.7% compared to last year.
Chief Growth Officer at S4labour, Richard Hartley, said: “Despite a wet August, it is promising to see growth on last year and healthier numbers compared to last month, which saw only a slight increase of 1.4% in like-for-like sales. Outside of London, and particularly in more rural areas, it is likely that less people were going out to drink in pubs this month because of the bad weather. Nevertheless, the increase in food sales across the UK will go some way to offsetting inflation.”
