Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

St Patrick's Day, weather and sport lift drinks sales to a 2022 high

Published: 28 March, 2022

Last week’s out-of-home drinks sales were 7% up on pre-pandemic levels, CGA’s latest Drinks Recovery Tracker reveals.

Sales of BWS resurgent in hospitality sector after relaxation of restrictions

Published: 04 February, 2022

The easing of Covid-19 restrictions is having a positive impact on drink sales across the on-trade, according to the latest CGA Drinks Recovery Tracker.

End of Plan B restrictions brings ‘cautious optimism’ for hospitality boost

Published: 28 January, 2022

Sales of alcohol in the on-trade have continued to lag behind the levels seen in 2020, according to the latest CGA Drinks Recovery Tracker, yet a resurgence is forecast as Plan B restrictions come to an end this week.

Tough Christmas prompts new calls for extended relief for hospitality

Published: 04 January, 2022

New figures from UKHospitality show that pubs, bars and restaurants lost £10,335 on average in the week leading up to Christmas, due to fears over the new Covid-19 variant.

Dine-in occasions continue to increase as restaurants, pubs and bars grow share

Published: 10 November, 2021

Consumers are increasingly dining out with more going to restaurants, pubs and bars, the latest update to the Lumina Intelligence UK Eating Out Market Report 2021 has found.

SLTA issues call for ‘level playing field’ in pubs and supermarkets duty

Published: 27 October, 2021

The Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) is calling on the Government to overhaul the alcohol excise duty system and introduce new measures that would create a differential between alcohol sold in pubs and supermarkets.

Over 200 hospitality bosses join call to keep VAT at 12.5%

Published: 25 October, 2021

Over 200 hospitality CEOs have signed a letter urging the Chancellor Rishi Sunak to permanently keep VAT at 12.5%.

August on-trade recovery hits new high

Published: 13 September, 2021

A mix of growing consumer confidence, pent up demand and staycations pushed sales in Britain’s managed restaurants, pubs and bars above pre-pandemic levels in August.

Deliveries and takeaways to maintain significant share of restaurant and pub sales

Published: 23 August, 2021

Deliveries and takeaways are set to maintain a “significant share” of restaurant and pub groups’ operations despite restrictions on indoor service lifting following Freedom Day, the latest CGA & Slerp Hospitality at Home Tracker has predicted.

Full on-trade reopening widely tipped for 19 July

Published: 05 July, 2021

QR codes and test and trace, compulsory mask-wearing and the one metre rule are all likely to go in England on 19 July, allowing pubs, bars and restaurants to operate at full capacity and their customers to mingle freely.

Pubs and restaurants to bounce back “with a vengeance” in 2022-2024

Published: 29 June, 2021

A total of £3.1bn growth is expected for the UK eating and drinking out market from 2022-24, new data has forecasted, with pubs and restaurants set to claim a £1.3bn share.

April delivers ‘solid’ outdoor trading for on-trade groups able to open

Published: 14 May, 2021

Managed pub and restaurant groups able to deliver outdoor service managed to deliver 74% of normal sales in April compared with the same period in 2019, but overall sales were 60% down with a majority still closed.

Solid first week for on-trade groups

Published: 27 April, 2021

Pubs, bars and restaurant groups have made a robust start to post-lockdown trading in England, the latest figures from the Coffer CGA Business Tracker has shown.

Brewers welcome “scrapped” Covid passports

Published: 26 April, 2021

The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has responded to growing speculation that Covid “passports for the pub” have been shelved, calling pubs and taprooms across the country “safe” for reopening without additional red tape.

Hospitality in Wales and Scotland reopen with 8pm indoor curfew for Scotland

Published: 26 April, 2021

Hospitality businesses can now open in Wales and Scotland for the first time since December, with Scotland’s ‘indoors but without alcohol’ policy putting it ahead of England’s outdoor-only phase of its current roadmap.

Portman research predicts “cautious return” to pubs post lockdown

Published: 08 April, 2021

Pubgoers look set to tailor some of their pre-pandemic drinking behaviours once restrictions ease, the Portman Group has said, with many planning to drink less when they return to the on-trade post-lockdown.

UKH: ‘Vaccine passport scheme would create confusion and inequality’

Published: 25 March, 2021

UK Hospitality (UKH) has warned against the use of a vaccine passport scheme as a condition of removing restrictions for on-trade visits, branding it “unworkable”.

UK craft brewery openings hit record levels

Published: 15 March, 2021

Flying in the face of on-trade closures during the pandemic, the number of craft breweries operating in the UK has reached levels not seen since 1930s.

UKH urges govt to review roadmap following legal challenge

Published: 15 March, 2021

UK Hospitality (UKH) has urged the government to review the roadmap again following the instigation of legal action by Pizza Express investor Hugh Osmond and night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, Sacha Lord.

Technology key focus for investment and innovation

Published: 08 March, 2021

Technology is set to be a key focus for investment and innovation as hospitality opens up again, according to the latest CGA’s Business Leaders’ Survey.