Higher food and drink sales in Britain's cities as workers, visitors return 

Sales growth is being driven by higher spend and increased prices rather than by more frequency.

Restaurants, pubs and bars in Britain’s major city centres are achieving growth in sales from pre-COVID levels, new research from CGA and Wireless Social suggested.
 
The companies’ joint ‘Top Cities’ report combines CGA’s sales data with device log-in data from Wireless Social to provide a ‘vibrancy’ ranking of Britain’s 10 most populous cities over the four weeks to 7 May 2022.

Of Britain’s ten most populous cities, nine of the ten recorded higher sales over the four-week period than in the same period in 2019. Bristol topped the list of most “vibrant” cities, and sales growth was also above 8% in Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.

Manchester and Liverpool have achieved the highest sales growth since the start of the ‘Top Cities’ research in late 2021. However, log-in volumes in all ten cities remain well below 2019, said to indicate that sales growth is being driven by higher spend and increased prices rather than by more frequency.

London’s sales also remain short of 2019 levels, though with more commuters and tourists returning.
 
The companies suggest that optimism about city-centre restaurants, pubs and bars is tempered by high inflation, with costs rising sharply in food, energy, labour and other key areas. Steep price rises are also starting to squeeze some consumers’ spending, they said.