The latest sales data from S4labour has revealed that hospitality sales were up 3.5% overall in February, compared to the same month last year.  

This uplift was driven by sales in London, which saw an increase of 8.5% overall. Outside of the capital, overall sales were up 2.3% year-on-year.  

Wet-led sites across the country saw a decline of 0.2%, however, dry-led sites were up 5.6%.  

Chief Growth Officer at S4labour, Richard Hartley, commented: “This year being a leap year meant that there was an additional day of trading in February, which has played its part in the year-on-year increase, though it is not entirely responsible for the uplift.”  

Data from S4labour has revealed that year-on-year sales were down 2.6% in January across the hospitality sector, compared to the same month last year.  

Sales saw a decline of 1.3% in London and a slightly bigger drop of 2.9% outside of the capital. Wet-led sites were the driving force behind the decline, with sales falling by 8.1%, in comparison to the 0.4% uplift in dry-led sites.  

S4labour’s Chief Growth Officer, Richard Hartley, commented: “Despite high inflation levels, and therefore high prices, sales are in decline, indicating that volumes are down. Operators up and down the country are feeling the strain of rising cost pressures, as people’s disposable income is not what it once was.”  

December 2023 vs. December 2022

Recent data released from S4labour shows an 11.1% increase in overall sales in December, compared to the same month in 2022.

In London, sales were up 14.2%, whilst areas outside of London saw 10.5% growth year-on-year. Dry-led sites were the driving force behind the overall increase, with sales up 13.9% compared to a more modest uplift of 7.3% in wet-led sites.

Richard Hartley, Chief Growth Officer at S4labour, commented: “In part, this increase is due to the train strikes that took place at the end of 2022, which impacted December sales and left a lower base point. Nonetheless, this consistent growth across the country reflects our industry’s dedication to customer satisfaction, even in challenging market conditions. Christmas has brought a much-welcomed boost to sales, which is a positive start to offsetting costs as operators continue to battle inflation, as well as the upcoming wage increases in April.

This decline was driven by sites outside of London, with sales dropping by 2.5%, whilst London saw a moderate increase of 3%. October also marks the first time since March that overall sales have been down.  

S4labour’s Chief Growth Officer, Richard Hartley, commented: “As we begin the run up to Christmas, this downward trend is not what we would have hoped for, especially considering last month’s staggering 9.6% growth. Only two out of the ten months so far this year have seen a decline, so we are optimistic that as celebrations begin over November and December, we will start to see some positive figures again.”  

London led the charge with an 11.5% boost, with growth underpinned by a 16.7% increase in food sales. 

Non-London regions across the UK also experienced robust growth, with a 9.1% increase in like-for-like sales compared to the same period last year. 

Richard Hartley, Chief Growth Officer at S4labour, commented: “These figures come as a much-needed boost to the UK’s hospitality sector and are ahead of inflation levels for the first time in a while. The good weather in September likely helped with this resurgence in consumer confidence for dining out. As we move into the final quarter of 2023, we should be cautiously optimistic about sustaining this upward trajectory.”