The S4labour Blog
Thought leadership, industry commentary and S4labour’s insights… all in one place.
August sales up 3.2% led by London
This month, overall sales were up 3.2% compared to last year, led by a strong August for London, according to the latest S4labour sales data. The Capital saw a solid increase of 9.9% across the board, with food and drink sales up 12% and 8.7% respectively. ...
Women’s World Cup Final Boosts Pub Sales
Although the Lionesses didn’t bring it home, they certainly brought in some sales, with figures telling a story of celebration. Despite the early start, last Sunday saw the Women’s World Cup final drive a 10% increase in drink sales when compared to same day the...
London year-on-year sales ahead in July, non-London sees a decline
In July, hospitality sales saw an overall year-on-year increase of 1.4%, the latest S4labour data reports. Food sales were responsible for this slight growth, with an increase of 5.8%, whereas drink sales were down 2.0% compared to last year. London fared much better...
June sales see a 7.8% increase led by London
In June hospitality sales saw the highest year-on-year increase so far in 2023 with a 7.8% uplift, according to the latest S4labour data. This spike is largely due to London sales, which were 15.7% ahead of 2022 levels, whilst non-London saw an uplift of 6.0%. ...
Ben Hood joins S4labour as non-executive director
Ben Hood, co-founder and former chief executive of Fourth, has joined the board of S4labour as non-executive director. Hood joins S4labour after 20 years at Fourth, with immediate effect. His appointment is part of the next stage of S4labour’s journey to support the...
Propel Women’s Conference: 5 Key Takeaways
Recently, S4labour had the honour of participating in the Propel Women's Conference which celebrated women's resilience, strength, and limitless potential within each of them. This was an inspiring event that beautifully weaved together stories of triumph and failure,...
May sees modest sector sales uplift led by food-focused sites, growth lower than expected
Across May, hospitality sales saw a slight uplift of 2.7% compared to the same month last year, according to the latest S4labour report. Between London and non-London, the growth was split relatively evenly, with a 3.1% and 2.7% like-for-like increase respectively....
A New Guide to Holiday Management in Hospitality
When holidays approach, it’s easy to get lost thinking about footfall and revenue, without laying the groundwork to grow both of these effectively. During busy periods, having the right amount of staff on shift at the right time, whilst maintaining labour percentages...
Hospitality grows sales in April, with a strong May on the cards
Hospitality like-for-like sales in April were up 3.3% against last year’s levels, according to the latest S4labour report. Operators have been facing squeezed consumer confidence and an increase to national living wage levels over the month. Although April’s...
The Coronation of King Charles III
Hospitality sales grew 14% in the week of the Queen’s Jubilee in 2022 when compared to the preceding week. Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd of June were bank holidays, which gave Brits a 4-day weekend through until Sunday 5th, boosted by extended licensing hours and sunny...
5 Tips to Help you Manage the National Living Wage Increase
#1 Get visibility of what you have been spending so that you can start to see the areas you might be overspending. The only way to do this is with a dynamic system that can give week-by-week and day-by-day insight into what you are spending, rather than just looking...
March Sales Figures Show 1.8% Drop Year-on-Year
Overall March sales show a decline of 1.8% compared to 2022, albeit with a 6.4% uplift in London despite rail strike disruption. Rising prices continue to deter consumer spending, meaning like-for-like growth has slowed even more from 1.6% in February to -1.8% this...