Sales Figures Archives - S4labour, Labour Management & Productivity

London year-on-year sales ahead in July, non-London sees a decline

by Abby Henson | 3 Aug, 2023 | Sales Figures

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 than the rest of the country, seeing sales 2.9% ahead of 2022, whilst non-London experienced a decline of 4.3%.

Richard Hartley, Chief Growth Officer at S4labour, commented: “July has been a much slower month than we would have liked, as sales have likely suffered due to bad weather, with less people going out for drinks throughout the month. Though these numbers indicate growth, they still lag behind inflation levels. However, as we move into August, we are hopeful that the summer holidays, as well as the bank holiday, will help towards offsetting this.”

June sales see a 7.8% increase led by London

by Abby Henson | 5 Jul, 2023 | Blog, Sales Figures

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%.

Food and drink were split fairly evenly outside of London, with 6.2% and 5.9% year-on-year growth respectively. The capital was driven by a 16.2% increase in drink sales, with food sales growth sitting just below that at 14.9%. This comes after temperatures were consistently high throughout June, reaching 32 degrees in some parts of England. It’s likely many spent a great deal of time outdoors, enjoying food and drinks in pubs and restaurants.

Chief Growth Officer at S4labour, Richard Hartley, commented: “In line with rising temperatures, this is what we would expect to see as this June was the hottest to date. This quarter has seen solid growth on 2022 sales, with April at 3.3% and May at 2.7%. As we move into the second half of the year, good weather and holidays should continue to work towards offsetting inflation and rising interest rates.”

Hospitality grows sales in April, with a strong May on the cards

by Abby Henson | 4 May, 2023 | Blog, Sales Figures, uncategorised

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 statistics are still below the rate of inflation, its rate is the second fastest so far this year, so this growth is good news for the sector.

London food sales were up 7.9% driving the capital’s overall uplift of 6.6%. Non-London was also led by food, with an increase of 4.5%.

May will bring a big advantage and uplift in trading across its three bank holidays and warmer weather, with the Queen’s Jubilee weekend in 2022 bringing a 14% increase to week-on-week sales.

Richard Hartley, S4labour’s Chief Growth Officer, said: “Amidst what is a tough period for the industry, these figures are positive. With three bank holidays in May, operators across the country will have much stronger trading as consumer interest in eating and drinking out is set to spike, particularly if the weather is good.”

March Sales Figures Show 1.8% Drop Year-on-Year

by Abby Henson | 4 Apr, 2023 | Sales Figures

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 month. March marks another consecutive month where this pattern is emerging, being the first this year to show negative year-on-year figures. December 2022 revealed an increase of 17% in like-for-like numbers, and January 2023 sat at a 4.1% growth compared to 2022.

London drink sales were up 8.9%, leading the capital’s 6.4% overall growth, but these figures sit against low 2022 statistics and higher prices, which indicates that volumes are down. Research also shows that there is a slight increase in the proportion of sites trading 7 days a week in 2023, compared to 2022, so there is an expectation that the numbers would be higher than they are.

Richard Hartley, Chief Growth Officer at S4labour, said: “The impact of inflation is paving the way for a challenging period, especially with labour increases coming into play next month.” From April, operators will have the task of maintaining their current margins by increasing takings, which will be no easy feat considering how much consumers’ disposable income is being squeezed.

February Like-for-Likes Show Little Growth

by Abby Henson | 2 Mar, 2023 | Sales Figures

February sales in Hospitality show little growth, as year-on-year increase sits at 1.6%, despite low 2022 statistics that were affected by Omicron.

Like-for-like growth has slowed significantly throughout 2023 so far. December 2022 saw an increase of 17%, followed by 4.1% in January and 1.6% in February.

The research also shows that there was a slight increase in the proportion of sites trading 7 days a week this year compared to last year.

Richard Hartley, Chief Growth Operator at S4labour, said: “It’s concerning to see little growth despite high rises in prices, indicating that volumes are down as consumer confidence continues to come under strain.”

Like-for-Like Sales up 4.1% in January Driven by Bounce in London

by Abby Henson | 3 Feb, 2023 | Sales Figures

Monthly like-for-like sales in hospitality were up 4.1% compared with January 2022, the majority of which was driven by a 15.2% bounce in London.

Rising prices over the last 12 months have impacted raw sales data. Although sales figures are increasing, these numbers lag behind inflation, which in real terms, will be a decline for some operators, particularly those outside of London.

Richard Hartley, chief innovation officer, added: “The figures aren’t adjusted for inflation, so we’d naturally expect to see some level of bounce. The capital took a lot longer to recover as we came out of Omicron, so last year’s figures act as a low basepoint. This reality goes a long way towards explaining why the 2023 numbers look better than they are.”