Britain’s restaurant, pub and bar groups saw sales growth of 3.2 percent year-on-year  in December 2024.

Data from the CGA RSM Hospitality Business indicates total sales growth in December was notably higher at 5.2 percent, reflecting the increase in new managed restaurant, pub and bar openings during the past 12 months.

“After a modest performance through most of 2024, real-terms growth in December was a big relief for the hospitality sector,” said Karl Chessell, director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA at CGA by NIQ.

Pub groups’ like-for-like sales were up 4.7 percent on December 2023, while restaurants’ growth was more muted at 1.6 percent. Meanwhile, bars showed an improvement from soft trading for the majority of 2024, posting growth of 1.3 percent. December trading in London significantly outpaced the rest of the country, the data shows.

“The late festive sales show people remain eager to celebrate special occasions in pubs, bars and restaurants, and provide a welcome buffer for the much quieter months of the year. However, with the costs of doing business sure to rise further and consumers’ confidence still patchy, 2025 is likely to be another challenging year for many hospitality businesses,” Chessell cautioned.

This view was echoed by Saxon Moseley, head of leisure and hospitality at RSM UK. “Given the significant tax rises and regulatory burdens that will impact the sector this year, and with little capacity to absorb these additional costs, businesses will need to tread a fine line between raising prices to preserve margins whilst not spooking consumers,” he stated.