Beer and cider outperform as consumers seek value

Average sales in managed venues in the week to Saturday 10 October were down by 2.6% from the same period in 2025, as cool and damp conditions set in and kept people at home in some parts of Britain. With the weather then brightening, trading picked up over the following week, with sales rising by 1.9% in the seven days to Saturday 17 October. 

The latest figures continue a pattern of broadly flat drinks sales since a burst of growth during the football World Cup. It was a similar performance in the second half of September, following modest growth in the first fortnight of the month. 

The Daily Drinks Tracker, powered by CGA intelligence, is also in line with the separate NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker, which recorded like-for-like growth of 2.7% at managed pub, bar and restaurant groups in September—just below the UK’s rate of inflation. 

Category-wise, Long Alcoholic Drinks fared best in the first half of October. Beer sales were ahead by 1.5% and 5.6% in the two weeks to 10 and 17 October respectively, while cider rose 1.6% and 7.6%. The strong second week for LAD reflected warmer weather and the return of the Premier League to screens in many pubs and bars.  

Soft drinks (down 2.4% and up 5.6%) had a reasonable fortnight, while wine (down 6.3% and down 3.2%) was negative. It was a very difficult start to the month for spirits (down 16.3% and down 13.2%), as some customers sought more refreshment and value in longer serves.  

Rachel Weller, NIQ’s commercial lead, UK & Ireland, said: “An essentially flat start to Autumn drinks sales isn’t much for operators and suppliers to get excited about. But in a high-cost environment where spending remains tight for millions of consumers, it’s a reasonable performance, and beer and cider figures are particularly encouraging. The On-Premise will now be looking to Halloween to bring more people out to celebrate and revive spirits sales in particular. In the meantime, leaders will be hoping that the government’s forthcoming Budget can stimulate consumers’ spending and give businesses some relief on costs.”