The festive performance, fuelled by a late spending surge in the final two-weeks of the month, comes on the back of a ‘bumper’ December in 2023, which saw sales up 8.8% on 2022. This December’s figures also represent the best performance for the sector since May.

The Tracker—produced by CGA by NIQ—shows total sales growth in December was higher at 5.2%, reflecting a steady stream of new managed restaurant, pub and bar openings over the last 12 months, despite closures elsewhere in the market.
 
Among major hospitality channels, pubs enjoyed the best December as consumers celebrated the run-up to Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Pub groups’ like-for-like sales were 4.7% ahead of December 2023, while restaurants’ growth was more muted at 1.6%. Elsewhere, bars bounced back from soft trading throughout most of 2024 to post growth of 1.3%. The on-the-go segment of the market dropped 1.2%.
 
December trading in London comfortably outpaced the rest of the country, the Tracker shows. Managed groups’ sales inside the M25 were up by 4.6%, while sector sales away from London rose 2.8%.
 
Karl Chessell, director - hospitality operators and food, EMEA at CGA by NIQ, said: “After a modest performance through most of 2024, real-terms growth in December was a big relief for the hospitality sector. The late festive sales show people remain eager to celebrate special occasions in pubs, bars and restaurants, and provide a welcome buffer for the much quieter months of the year. However, with the costs of doing business sure to rise further and consumers’ confidence still patchy, 2025 is likely to be another challenging year for many hospitality businesses.”
 
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “December is the most important month of trading for most hospitality businesses, and was even more critical in 2024 as the sector faces £3.4 billion in added cost in April.

“Real-terms sales growth as a whole is encouraging but with performance varying quite significantly across the sector, it is unlikely to be enough to increase business confidence heading into a challenging year.”