Oxford Partnership’s On Trade Tracker shows that Easter definitely drove some cheer for the UK hospitality industry, finishing the first quarter of the year on a positive note.

In the four-week period to 31st March, volumes grew +2.4% vs. the same period last year, as consumers celebrated an earlier Easter than 2023 as well as the Six Nations, and a multitude of big Football fixtures. Over the Easter break, Suburban outlets alone saw sales grow by +7.2% in Week 14.

And that’s not all the good news!  Outlet closures slowed in the 4 weeks to only 0.1% compared to   -2.4% in February. 

Plus consumer footfall also showed growth +1.7% year-to-date and we can see a +3% growth over the latter part of the week in Pubs & Bars.

Consumer Dwell time continued to grow +4.9%, again driven by Pubs & Bars +6%, which we are also seeing in the latest Barclays Consumer Insight.

When it comes to the days that have delivered the best results for the on trade, Sunday was the BIG winner for consumer footfall with a huge increase of +23% vs. 23. 

Food Pubs drove this growth with +33% more footfall than a year ago. Other star performers were Bar & Kitchens, where Brunches and Ultimate Roasts have been attracting +31% footfall. Suburban outlets were key to this growth +32% with City Centres behind the pace at +14% vs. 2023.

March’s consumer spending on overall Eating & Drinking saw stronger growth than in February, at +2.6% compared to +2.1%. This was driven by consumers gathering to watch the Six Nations and FA Cup fixtures, and to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.  Pubs & Bars drove the growth +3.2% whilst restaurants continued to decline -12.6%. For restaurants the issue continues to be the decline in footfall with transaction volumes -15%, compounded by the declining length of the consumer visits -5.2% per occasion.

From a category perspective, in the 4 weeks we can see that draught Beer & Cider volumes grew +0.7% and year to date +2.3% driven by a welcome return of volume to City Centres and especially London. Stout continued to drive growth +9.6% YTD as well as World Lager +7.3%.

So, all in all, a very healthy end to the first quarter of the year for the UK on trade!

Oxford Pertnership’s On Trade Tracker provides a top-level snapshot of hospitality performance in the UK monthly. The data is drawn from Oxford’s Market Watch, Vianet Plc’s Draught Volume Data Pool and Barclays UK Debit and Credit Transactional Data.

Pubs are facing an increase in organised crime activity but having a local pubwatch can help tackle this through intelligence sharing.

This was the view at the National Pubwatch Conference which took place in Sheffield earlier this month. 

Dan Davies, ceo of Rockpoint Leisure and current chairman of the Institute of licensing, which is spearheading the regeneration of New Brighton, near Liverpool, said that organised crime groups and gang activity is a problem faced by the licensed trade across the country. 

Davies told delegates that it is a “very complex subject.” 

“We have been 15-to-20 years behind some of the American gang culture. There has always been gangs in the UK but what we have seen across the last number of years is a rise in a more organised gang activity,” he said. 

“We have also seen a massive rise in knife crime and again this is not people carrying around a pen knife, these are often machetes and zombie knifes and things like this.”

He highlighted issues that have contributed to this rise including urban planning issues where businesses and high streets have ‘failed’ and been replaced with housing. 

“If you have a place where people just live, and they don’t work and don’t socialise there, they become displaced,” he added. 

“It can often bring friction and a spiral downwards. People just want jobs and opportunities. All of these things, as well as the economic climate, are the ‘Tinder box’ for more gang activity.” 

Davies said that part of the problem is that youths want a sense of direction and belonging, which see many join gangs. But he used this need to belong to make the young people part of the regeneration of New Brighton. 

“We have been charting the activities they have been doing over the last six years and you can really see if they are given opportunities and given the right investment in time and role models, they can take the right path,” he said. 

“They commit crimes but they don’t understand the knock-on effect that can have to themselves, to their families or to any victims and their families as well. This is something that is an important topic and it needs to be top of the agenda moving forward.  We need to work together and find the best practice.” 

Davies worked with Inspector Alan McKeon Merseyside police, who was a community inspector dealing with organised crime groups in the Wirral. 

“My view is that a good licensee is worth their weight in gold. We talk prevention.  There is nothing better than to have a licensee on board,” he said. 

He stressed that licensees need support to deal with these organised crime groups, some of whom want to drink in their pubs and licensed premises. 
Inspector Alan McKeon said that it is crucial for licensees and pubs to share intelligence so incidents can be avoided.  

He highlighted the murder of innocent victim beautician Elle Edwards who died after being shot in the cross-fire of an organised crime attack at a pub in Wallasey Village on Christmas Eve in 2022. The organised crime group had decided to frequent the premises, which was not seen by the police as a pub with any issues. 

“I will keep saying it. If they were part of a scheme like Pubwatch that information would have been shared and would have got to us,” he added.  

For more information: Steve Baker on 07944030555 or [email protected]

The Licensed Trade Charity (LTC), the 230-year-old industry charity supporting drinks professionals in need of emotional support, specialist advice and financial assistance, experienced an unprecedented 43% jump in calls to its helpline in 2023 compared to the previous year.

A total of 4,560 people from across the sector contacted the LTC through its 24/7 helpline in 2023 – the highest number of calls the charity has received in a 12-month period since the helpline was established. Across all its support services, the LTC provided aid to 47,130 people in the drinks industry last year, highlighting the critical role the organisation plays in helping support individuals currently or previously employed within the licensed trade.

Financial issues continue to represent a clear pressure on people in the sector, with 23% of calls received by the LTC referred to the grants team to discuss necessary financial assistance. In 2023 alone, £1.4m was awarded in grants and services by the LTC, up from £1.17m in 2022.

The LTC’s chief executive officer Chris Welham said: “The hospitality and drink sectors have faced unprecedented challenges over the past four years, and the pressures on our industry are being felt throughout the workforce.  
“2023 represented the busiest year on record for the LTC, with a significant spike in individuals requiring support with their mental health, and assistance with their finances. Although this is clearly a worrying time for many across our industry, I am glad the LTC has been able to provide meaningful help to so many people. Increased awareness for the charity has been critical for us to reach a greater number of people needing aid, so I thank everyone who has amplified our message and raised vital funds over the past year.”  

When asked how they heard about the charity’s helpline, 36% said they were referred by their employer, 9% by Turn2us, while 6% were referred to by other charities and housing associations, and 1% by the public sector. 

Fifty-three per cent of those who made the call were employed at the time, and 44% of all calls made came from individuals working at one of the four largest pub companies in the UK – highlighting how important the LTC is viewed by the biggest operators. 

The figures are a record high for the charity since the helpline was first established and demonstrates significant effort on the part of the LTC in helping to grow awareness in the industry, being trusted and relied on as an organisation that people can turn to in times in need