by Matt Sweetman | Aug 7, 2019 | Blogs, Sales Figures
5.4% rise in food and drink sales in July 2019.
According to analysis of more than 100 restaurants, pubs, bars, hotels and cafes that use S4labour software, sales of both food and drink were up 5.4% in July 2019 compared to July 2018.
Both wet and dry led operations saw positive like for likes, but it was food focused businesses that performed particularly well. Overall, sales in dry led establishments went up by an impressive 8.3%, the largest hike in like for like sales in 2019. The bumper month was split evenly between growth in food and drink sales, up 8.2% and 8.5% respectively.
Unlike the same period the year before, the inconsistent weather may have been enough to deter many from lighting the BBQ and opting for an out of home eating experience instead.
Improved sales figures were also a feature in drink focused businesses, however the growth here was largely driven by food sales. Sales of food in wet-led pubs grew by an encouraging 5.2% compared to a modest uplift of 1.6% in drink sales. However, overall like for likes sales growth was a welcome 2.3%.
Like previous months, food sales, particularly in food focused businesses have been the stand out performers in the hospitality sector. This month was no different, however, modest gains for wet led operations is good news for the sector.
by Matt Sweetman | Jul 5, 2019 | Blogs, Sales Figures
3.3% fall in like for like hospitality sales in June 2019.
According to analysis of more than 100 organisations that use S4labour software, sales of both food and drink across the sector took a hit this June. Tough trading condition coupled with lower temperatures, higher levels of rainfall and being compared to the same trading period in 2018 where the Fifa World Cup was in full flow, has meant many operators struggled to reproduce the same performance in June 2019 as they did in June 2018.
The story in venues where drinks make up the majority of sales was an overall drop off by 4.6%, compared to June 2018.
Food led business also saw a drop in like for like sales, however the impact was less acute. Food sales remained relatively steady with only a 0.3% decline, yet drink sales fell by 3.9%.
Food sales in food focused pubs have been quite resilient this year, while drink focused operators have experienced much more fluctuation and have been more susceptible to exterior factors.
by Matt Sweetman | Jun 5, 2019 | Blogs, Sales Figures
Drink sales drive a 1% rise in sales for hospitality revenues in May 2019.
According to analysis of more than 100 organisations that use S4labour software, a spike in sales at drink focused venues drove an overall 1% rise in sales across the sector. The latest sales figures show a resilient bounce back from Aprils sales dip and encouraging results for drink focused business going forward.
The success of British football clubs in the later stages of the Champions League this year helped push an overall 2.3% rises in sales at drinks business. While food sales slipped by 1.2% in drinks venues, there was a very encouraging uplift of 3.1% in the sale of drink.
The success in drink focused businesses was at the expense of some food focused establishments where there were slightly less positive results. A boost of 0.5% in food sales was not enough to stop an overall drop off of 0.4% in sales, owing to the decline of 1.5% in drink sales. The warm weather was possibly a factor in driving some diners to light the BBQ at home rather than eating out.
by Matt Sweetman | May 2, 2019 | Blogs, Sales Figures
0.7% Fall in Sales in April Despite Good Easter Weather
According to analysis of more than 100 organisations that use S4labour software, operators had slightly weaker sales than in the same month the previous year. Whilst the first quarter of 2019 had seen resilient figures for both food and drink, A sunny Easter bank holiday wasn’t enough to out perform April last year. April 2019 sales figures could be summarised by a weakening of food sales, with some gains being made in drink sales for dry let operators.
The sales of food plateaued in both wet and dry focused business, with a slight overall drop off of 1.8% compared to like for like sales in April 2018. However, worst hit were drink focused venues where food sales declined by 5.7%. Dry let business, while sales also dipped, only saw a 0.3% decline on April last year.
Despite this, drink sales in food focused business bucked the trend with an 4.1% uplift in like for like sales. Drink sales in wet led business slipped 2.2%.
Some of this decline can be accounted for by the slightly lower temperature compared to 2018, where the UK enjoyed more sustained periods of warmer weather.
by Matt Sweetman | Apr 2, 2019 | Blogs, Sales Figures
Buoyant Sales performance for Hospitality Operators In March 2019.
According to an analysis of more than 100 organisations that use S4Labour software, operators had strong sales during March 2019, with food sales and drink sales up in both dry-led and in wet-let sites.
Going into April’s annual National Price Hike Day and an increase in The National Living Wage, the sector saw an overall picture of 3.7% positive growth compared to like for like sales from the same month last year. The most impressive results came from venues that were food-led. In venues where sales were predominantly made up from food, both food and drink sales were up an impressive 5.4%.
Drink-focused businesses also fared well, if not as strongly as food focused business. The sales growth in wet-led venues were 2.4% on like for like sales from the same month last year, made up predominantly by a 2.7% uplift in drink sales and bolstered by a 0.8% increase in food sales.
by Matt Sweetman | Mar 14, 2019 | Sales Figures
What a success the March Propel Multi Club was this year! The team from Catton Hospitality had a great day speaking to a spectrum of people and were proud to be one of the event sponsors. Taking to the stage this year were a variety of industry experts, each with serious pedigree in their fields. From successful operators, to hospitality innovators, we learnt a lot. Here are some of the best lessons we learnt from the day.
Part 1 – Great people with effective technology is the perfect combination
One of the key lessons from this year’s star of the show and Catton Hospitality’s CEO, Alastair Scott, was that a business is built one shift at a time (albeit a borrowed quote from Tony Hughes) and so planning to make each one a success is essential. Alastair highlighted some useful tips on how to achieve this, especially the importance of adopting excellent IT systems, such as S4Labour. Other gems to gleam from Alastair’s experience of running highly successful hospitality businesses include, removing the teams hiding places in order to encourage them to positively engage with guest, investing in staff development, and showing leadership. Both Alastair and Ian Payne, Chairman of Stonegate Pub Company, spoke of the importance of giving praise to staff on a regular basis, especially if it needs to come with criticism.
You may be surprised to also find out that there is a bigger correlation between increased sales figures and having a happy team, than there is between sales and happy customers.
Many of the guest speakers were keen to express how important innovative technologies had been in their growth and managing their business day to day, but as Mark Ashley, author of ‘Better Than Yesterday’ points out that, nothing can replace good people. All the operators on stage believed in the importance of training and developing existing people within the business. Mark Ashley noted the essential requirement is to not only invest in your team, but to make sure your own wellbeing and personal growth are not neglected. Both Mark and Tim Martin, founder of JD Weatherspoons, agreed that your team are essential for providing ideas and feedback that drive the success of the business.
