Analysis from S4labour that hospitality sales from last week were down 21.2% compared to the week before the curfew (2 weeks prior), with sales of food down 19.1% and drink sales down 23.2% on two weeks before.
While weekly like-for-likes continue to fall, like-for-like sales are down 13.5% when comparing last week with the same week in 2019, with London suffering a 38.4% decrease in sales when compared to last year, versus a 5.2% decrease in the rest of the country. The figures suggest that London is adjusting to a new decreased level of trading, and that may take a while to recover. It is also worth noting that roughly 10% of sites are still yet to open after lockdown measures were introduced.
Chief Product Office Richard Hartley commented “This level of decline is unprecedented and worrying for the industry, although the weather may have played a part. As the curfew has been introduced, diners and drinkers will start to head out earlier, as a closer look at sales shows that a larger proportion of sales came in earlier. Behaviours may continue to change as we adjust to the new timings.”
