UK pubs and bars struggle as April 2026 brings weather woes and weak sales
NIQ's Daily Drinks Tracker, powered by CGA intelligence, shows average sales in managed venues in the last full week of March, to Saturday 28 March, were down by 0.9% year-on-year. This was followed by a drop of 6.1% in the following seven days to Saturday 4 April-though comparisons were distorted by the boost of very warm weather and Mother's Day celebrations during that week in 2025. The run-in to Easter was also hit by Storm Dave, which kept many people indoors over the start of the crucial long weekend.
However, the better weather that followed helped managed venues to recover some footfall in the week to Saturday 11 April. Average sales were 3.3% up year-on-year over these seven days-exactly the same as the UK's rate of inflation in March, according to the Consumer Prices Index.
The three-week period continues the pattern of tough trading conditions and limited drinks sales growth for pubs, bars and suppliers in 2026. Consumers' spending confidence has been sapped further by the effects of the war in the Middle East on the prices of their energy-related costs including petrol, food and drink.
The Daily Drinks Tracker shows soft drinks were the best performing segment in early April. Sales rose by 8.6% in the week to 11 April, suggesting that some consumers might be looking to save money by switching from alcoholic categories. Soft drinks performed notably better than both beer (up 3.3%) and cider (down 3.1%). Spirits dropped by 0.7%, though this represents an improvement on general trends this year.
Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ's commercial lead, UK & Ireland, said: "A return to modest growth towards the middle of April is a welcome development for operators and suppliers, and it shows once again the positive effect of warm weather on On-Premise footfall. However, many consumers have clearly been alarmed by the prospect of steep inflation in many of their household bills, and it's filtering through to their discretionary spending. It's a concerning indicator for the rest of Spring and Summer, and businesses and consumers alike will be hoping for a swift resolution to the disruption in the supply of oil before it starts to bite too deeply into their costs."
The Daily Drinks Tracker provides analysis of sales at managed licensed premises across Britain and is part of NIQ powered by CGA's suite of research services delivering in-depth data on category, supplier and brand rate of sale performance.
