Surveys

Regions are “in good growth” whilst London remains in the red.   An uptick in consumer confidence about safety and the easing of COVID-19 restrictions contributed to Britain’s managed pub, bar, and restaurant groups getting a modest increase in sales in January.

CGA is cautiously optimistic that pubs, bars and restaurants can build their sales over the coming weeks.

89% or nearly nine out of ten shoppers expect food prices to rise.

Meat reduction has returned to around the level seen in 2019 following a dip in 2020, Mintel said.

IGD also analysed how Omicron shook up Christmas shopping.

Further analysis from YouGov also shows that Brits do most of their drinking at home or work.

Trading is still down in London with consumers remaining hesitant to dine-in.

59% of team members also admitted that customer experience is suffering in their venue due to lack of staff.

67% of shoppers believed that Christmas is a time to “splash out on food and groceries.”

48% say that staff must know where the food is sourced from whilst 58% expect staff to have the “knowledge and foresight” to recommend menu items.

53% of consumers are actively counting calories or checking sugar content.

At-home sales, however, are still 98% higher than 2019 levels.

Rolling 12-month sales, however, was down 4.5% for managed pubs, bars and restaurants.

Consumers are increasingly focusing on saving money, IGD says.

The bounce back also marks a second successive month of year-on-year increases.

21% of shoppers expect to focus more on saving money rather than quality next year.