by Abby Henson | Jan 7, 2025 | Customer Stories, Sales Figures
Overall, like-for-like sales show minimal difference when compared to the same month in 2023. In London, sales were up 5.5%, whereas areas outside of the capital saw a drop of 1.4%.
Food-focused businesses fared better, with sites up 3.1% compared to a drop of 5.3% in wet-led venues.
S4labour’s Chief Growth Officer, Richard Hartley, commented: “While like-for-like sales have remained steady, inflation continues to loom, putting pressure on profit margins. As we approach the anticipated price increases in April, operators will need to stay focused on delivering value, ensuring that they adapt effectively to changing economic conditions while maintaining customer satisfaction and profitability.”
by Matt Sweetman | Dec 4, 2024 | Sales Figures
Inflation beating like-for-like sales growth for hospitality industry, but profit under pressure.
The latest data from S4labour reveals that sales were up 8.5% in November 2024, compared to the same month last year. London saw growth of 9.9% year-on-year, whilst the sites outside the capital saw 8.1% like for like boost.
“Operators have a short window…before the effects of the budget hit home”
S4labour’s Chief Growth Officer, Richard Hartley, commented: “These figures show many great operators are meeting challenging consumer conditions, but potentially hide the pressures on underlying profitability caused by wider macro economic headwinds. Operators have a short window now to capitalise on improved sales and get to grips with the main variable costs before the effects of the budget hit home.”
by Abby Henson | Nov 11, 2024 | Sales Figures
Hospitality sales were up 1.7% in October compared to the same month last year, the latest report from S4labour reveals.
In London, like-for-like sales rose by 7.4%. This growth was largely driven by a 12.6% year-on-year increase in food sales.
Outside of London, like-for-like sales remained flat, showing a 0% change when compared to the same period last year.
However, there were notable differences between different site categories across the country. Dry-led sites (those focused on food offerings rather than alcohol) performed better, with a 4.1% increase in sales, reflecting a growing preference for food-led venues. In contrast, wet-led sites saw a slight decline, with sales down by 2.9%.
Chief Growth Officer at S4labour, Richard Hartley, commented: “This mediocre uptick in like-for-likes demonstrates the challenge of seeing any real-terms growth that operators, particular in wet-led businesses, are facing. With the proposed increases to employment costs, as well as the slash to business rates relief announced in the Autumn budget, businesses will, once again, be looking to festive trade to help towards combatting further upcoming cost-burdens.”
by Abby Henson | Jul 4, 2024 | Sales Figures
Like for like sales were pushed up 3.3% in June, the latest sales data from S4labour reveals. The data showed an upswing of 6% year-on-year in London, whilst sites outside the capital were up 2.7%, marking a minimal uplift for operators across the country. June saw England’s first three Euro games kick off, along with good weather, which helped encourage sales slightly throughout the month. Both wet and dry-led sites did see some benefit of the football, with sales up 3.7% and 3.1% respectively. Chief Growth Officer at S4labour, Richard Hartley, added: “The impact of the football and warm weather was much softer than operators would have hoped and expected. While dining out often takes a hit during key sporting events, it would appear that neither food, nor drink-focused venues have been able to fully maximise. However, with the team’s win on Sunday (30th June) securing England a spot in the quarter finals, operators will be hoping to see more games (and hopefully celebrations) throughout July to really boost sales this summer.”
by Abby Henson | Jun 6, 2024 | Sales Figures
The latest data from S4labour reveals an increase in like-for-like hospitality sales in May, with an overall rise of 6.6% compared to the same month last year.
In London, sales were up 9.7% year-on-year and non-London recorded a 5.9% rise compared to May 2023.
Wet-led venues experienced a modest increase of 3%, whilst dry-led sites saw a significant boost with an 8.4% increase in sales compared to last year.
Richard Hartley, Chief Growth Officer at S4labour, commented: “The industry’s performance in May has been encouraging, particularly when we consider the extra bank holiday last year for the King’s coronation. With both London and non-London venues showing robust growth, and the significant rise in sales in dry-led sites, we can see a growing trend towards dining out, possibly fuelled by warmer weather.”
by Abby Henson | May 14, 2024 | Sales Figures
Like-for-like sales were down 12.9% in April compared to the same month last year, the latest data from S4labour reveals.
Outside of London, sites saw a drop of 15.9%, whilst the capital saw a very slight uplift of 0.7% year-on-year. Across the country, dry-led venues saw a decline of 10.4% and wet-led sites witnessed a marginally larger decrease of 17.8% in comparison to last year.
For the months of March and April combined, year-on-year data showed that overall sales were down 1.9% in 2024, compared to the same two months in 2023. For the same periods, London sales were up 2.7% in 2024, but down 3% outside of the capital.
Chief Growth Officer at S4labour, Richard Hartley, commented: “With Easter falling earlier than usual this year at the end of March, last month’s sales were up by 11.6% compared to 2023. As expected, this meant that April’s like-for-likes would appear lower this year, hence the drop.”
