The UK hospitality sector enjoyed a strong start to summer as warmer weather and the start of the FIFA World Cup encouraged more people to visit pubs, bars and restaurants.

New figures from The Oxford Partnership’s latest Oxford Market Watch, using data from Vianet’s Beverage Metrics platform, show footfall rose by 4.5 percent in the latest week compared with the same period last year. Customers also stayed longer, with average dwell time increasing 7.7 percent to 154 minutes, while consumer spending climbed 2.9 percent.

Food sales increased 3.8 percent compared with a 1.9 percent rise for drinks, while average spend per customer remained at £26.84.

Trading also improved, with draught volumes increasing 0.9 percent and rate of sale rising 3 percent. London recorded the strongest regional performance, with draught volume growth of 8 percent, while suburban outlets returned to growth at 0.9 percent and rural venues grew 0.2 percent.

Year-to-date footfall is up 3.1 percent, while average dwell time has increased 4.5 percent.

And these stats are supported by the BBPA’s stats which revealed that an additional 30 million pints were poured during England and Scotland’s games, resulting in pubs making an extra £150 million.