Managed restaurants, pubs and bars grow 42% in September
The bounce back also marks a second successive month of year-on-year increases.
Britain’s managed restaurant, pub and bar groups achieved a significant bounce in sales in September, according to the latest edition of the Coffer CGA Business Tracker.
The Tracker, which analysed data from 55 companies, shows total sales were 8% up on the pre-pandemic levels of September 2019 and were 42% higher than in September 2020, a time when businesses were operating under COVID restrictions.
The bounce back also marks a second successive month of year-on-year increases, with restaurants and pubs each recording total sales growth of 8%. For pubs, it was also an improvement on growth of 3% in August 2021.
Bars were still the best performing segment, following the easing of restrictions on the late-night sector in July.
The companies behind the Tracker say that September trading was boosted by growing consumer confidence about safety and spending, good weather in many areas and ongoing staycations but observed a “clear gap” in performance between London, where sales dropped 1% on September 2019, and the rest of the country, where they were up 12%.
This, they say, was an indication that the capital continues to be affected by a shortage of office workers and international tourists.
The Tracker also highlighted the long-term impact of the COVID crisis, with managed groups’ rolling 12-month sales to the end of September 2021 down by 10% on the 12 months prior.
“Many businesses remain under severe pressure from operational issues and debts, and they deserve targeted and sustained government support to sustain their recovery.” said Karl Chessell, director at CGA.
