Like for like sales figures bounce 5.5% for hospitality providers in January.
According to analysis of more than 1,500 sites using S4labour software, overall like for like sales were up 5.5% in January 2020, compared with the same month in 2019.
Unlike the vast majority of 2019, it was sites outside of London that saw the strongest sales growth, with a 6.1% uplift in sales outside the capital and a 3.2% rise in London.
There was also a small divergence between sales of food and drink. Drink sales in January 2020 were up 6.3% on January 2019, with food sales seeing a more modest rise of 4.3%.
The strong like for likes sales figures from the first month of 2020 should be put into the context of a relatively weak January in 2019, where sales were down 0.9% on 2018. Last years dip in sales could have been linked to the growing number of people undertaking Dry January and Veganuary. With evidence that growing numbers of people participated in both initiatives in 2020, this month’s figures suggest that operators have managed to attract guests with a diverse range of preferences, catering for those cutting down on alcohol or meat. The figures fit in with a wider trend of the resurgence of the wet led pub.
