- Like-for-like sales rise 4.8% for pubs in Christmas week
- Restaurants down 1.1% and bars tumble 15.5%
- New openings lift total growth above inflation
Festive celebrations helped Britain’s top managed pub operators to welcomed growth in the week of Christmas, the NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker reveals.
Across all hospitality channels, managed operators achieved modest like-for-like growth of 1.2% in the seven days from 22 December.
Modest growth for pubs
Pubs’ like-for-like sales were up by 4.8% from the same week in 2024. The figure is well ahead of both Britain’s rate of inflation and the Tracker’s figures for most weeks of 2025. The uplift was driven by a surge in guests heading out in the final days before Christmas and an uninterrupted run of bank holidays that gave people extended time off from midweek through to the weekend. This more favourable holiday pattern likely provided a stronger boost than Christmas Day openings.
Tough year for Restaurants
However, the Hospitality Business Tracker—produced by NIQ, powered by CGA intelligence, in association with RSM—shows it was a much more challenging festive season in other areas of hospitality. Like-for-like sales at managed restaurants in Christmas week were 1.1% down on the corresponding period in 2024, as many consumers tightened their spending on eating out. It ends a tough year for the restaurant sector, after negative year-on-year growth in ten of the first 11 months. Bar groups were hit even harder, with a 15.5% fall in like-for-like sales.
Karl Chessell, director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA at NIQ, said:
“Pubs’ real-terms growth in the week of Christmas shows how they remain a much-loved place for people to celebrate the festive season with families and friends. However, negative figures at restaurants and bars round out a very difficult year for many operators, and confidence is running low among consumers and business leaders alike. With cash reserves depleted and rates rises in the pipeline to add to a relentless burden of costs, the sector faces a challenging start to 2026.”
Saxon Moseley, head of leisure and hospitality at RSM UK, said:
“Festive trading mirrored the broader trends seen across 2025, with pubs reporting solid sales growth while restaurants and bars saw revenue contract year-on-year, leaving little to celebrate for these beleaguered segments of the market. With results failing to live up to expectations for many operators and a raft of cost increases scheduled for 2026, there will be real concern of further casualties on the high street in the coming months.”
NIQ collected sales figures directly from 107 leading managed groups for October’s edition of the NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker, which provides authoritative monthly insights into Britain’s restaurant, pub and bar sales. Companies participating in the Tracker receive a fuller breakdown of trading that helps to benchmark performance and understand market trends.
To join the cohort, contact Andrew Dean at andy.dean@nielseniq.com
Participants in the NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker: Adventure Leisure Ltd, All Star Lanes, Amber Taverns, Anglian Country Inns, Arc Inspirations, Azzurri Group (Ask Italian, Coco di Mama, Zizzi), Barburrito, Barworks, Beds and Bars, Big Fang Collective, Big Table Group (Banana Tree Restaurants, Bella Italia, Chiquito, Frankie & Benny’s, Las Iguanas), Bill’s Restaurants, Bleecker St Burger, Boisdale Ltd, Boom Battle Bar, Boston Tea Party, Boxpark, BrewDog, Burger & Lobster, Buzzworks Holdings Group, Byron, Chaiiwala, Chance and Counters, Coaching Inn Group Ltd, Comptoir Group Plc, Cote Restaurants, Creams Café, Darwin & Wallace, Dishoom, Evolv Collection, Five Guys, Fortnum & Mason, Fuller Smith & Turner, Gaucho Grill, Giggling Squid, Glendola Leisure, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, Greene King (Chef & Brewer, Hungry Horse, Flaming Grill), Hall & Woodhouse, Hawthorn Leisure, Heartwood Collection, Honest Burgers, HOP Vietnamese, Kibou, Kricket, Laine Pub Co, Lane 7, Liberation, Lina Stores, Loungers, Lucky Voice, Marston’s, McMullen & Sons Ltd, Megans, Mildreds, Mission Mars, Mitchells & Butlers (Harvester, Toby, Miller & Carter, All Bar One), MJMK Restaurants, Mojo Bar, Mowgli, Nando’s Restaurants, Neos Hospitality, New World Trading Company, Nightcap Plc, North Brewing Co, NQ64 Arcade Bars , Open House London, Parogon Pub Group, Peach Pubs, Pho, Pizza Express, Pizza Hut UK, Popeyes, Portobello Starboard Ltd, Prezzo, Public House Group, Punch Pub Co, Revolution Bars, Rick Stein Restaurants, Riley’s, Rosa’s Thai, Roxy Leisure, San Carlo, Sandbox VR, Shepherd Neame, Simmons Bars Group, Southern Wind Group (Fazenda), St Austell, Star Pubs & Bars, State of Play Hospitality, Stonegate Pub Co (Slug & Lettuce, Yates’, Walkabout, Bermondsey Pub Company), Tasty Plc, TGI Fridays UK, The Alchemist, The Fulham Shore, The Restaurant Group, Thunderbird Fried Chicken, Tonkotsu, Topgolf Ltd, Tortilla, Tossed, Treetop Golf, True North Brew Co, Upham Pub Co, Urban Pubs & Bars, Urban Village Pub Co, Various Eateries (Strada, Coppa Club), Village Hotels, Wagamama, Wasabi, Wells & Co, Whitbread (Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Table Table), Wingstop, Yolk, YO! Sushi, Young’s and Yummy Collection.
About RSM UK
RSM UK is a leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services. As an integrated team with nearly 4,900 partners and staff operating from 31 locations across the UK, we have a culture of understanding what it means to deliver value, and to value what we do.
As part of the RSM International network, we have access to more than 57,000 people in more than 120 countries. Our global presence helps us to meet the needs of clients who are trading and expanding internationally.
To learn more, visit www.rsmuk.com.
