Pubs and restaurants bounce led by London, Coffer Peach survey finds

London led a rebound for the eating and drinking out sector in November, with good growth in pub sales and a return to annual growth for restaurants, but it was a case of glass-half-full outside the capital.

The Coffer Peach Business Tracker found November like-for-likes sales grew 1.1% nationally on the same month last year, having fallen 1% a month ago.

London provided the main driver, with LFL sales in the capital up 3.5%, as last year a nervous public held back from restaurants in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris.

Having fallen 1.2% in October, pub sales fizzed back up 1.7% in November, with drink-led boozers and bars performing better than food-led pubs.

Branded restaurant chains were up just 0.2% nationally on last year, having declined 0.7% last month.

“These latest numbers come on the back of three consecutive months of sales growth in the sector in July, August and September following the EU-referendum, but a 1.0% decline in October, so operators need to remain cautious with plenty of volatility, uncertainty and competition ahead,” said Peter Martin, vice president of CGA Peach.

Martin said the data, which is calculated based on sales figures from 34 larger chains owned by companies including Fuller’s, Greene King, Marston’s, Mitchells & Butlers, Restaurant Group, Whitbread and Young's, should be put in context.

“Outside of London, groups recorded collective like-for-likes up just 0.3%, which might be a more accurate reflection of the essentially flat nature of the eating and drinking out market post Brexit vote,” he said.

Total sales growth in November, reflecting the impact of new openings, was 4.1% among the 34 companies in the Tracker cohort.