Britains hot weather has boosted the pub trade while hurting restaurant sales, according to new research.
Like-for-like pub sales jumped 3.5 per cent from May last year, standing in stark contrast to a 2.1 per cent like-for-like drop for the restaurant industry against the same period.
The latest results, published by Coffer Peach Business tracker, meant that overall the countrys managed pub, bar and restaurant groups saw collective like-for-like sales rise by 1.4 per cent.
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Peter Martin, a vice president of business consultancy CGA which helped produce the tracker, said: "Its a familiar story. When the sun shines people head for the pub, or more precisely the pub garden. In contrast, restaurants do better when its dull and damp. Weather remains the biggest factor when it comes to sales in the out-of-home market."
London slightly outperformed the rest of the country with like-for-like sales rising by 1.6 per cent compared with an average 1.4 per cent outside the capital, as the difference between pubs and restaurants mirrored the national picture.
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Mark Sheehan, the managing director of Coffer Corporate Leisure, said: "Better weather and a World Cup with a record 32 teams should see very strong trading for many pub businesses over the coming period. Restaurants and food led pubs may have a tougher summer to add to the pressures they are under. In the longer term, we see competition for casual dining chains become little less intense as poorer performing units are closed."
