Covid halves July sales in UK pub, bar and restaurant chains

Lockdown and customers’ reluctance to resume old habits hit bar sales particularly hard

Sales at pub, restaurant and bar chains halved in July compared to last summer, as almost two-thirds of restaurants remained closed and consumer wariness sparked a surge in home deliveries.

Sales in July were down 50.4% year-on-year, with restaurants worse hit than pubs and London suffering more than the rest of the UK.