Britain’s leading managed hospitality groups saw like-for-like sales slip 0.1% year-on-year in January, according to the NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker from NIQ powered by CGA, citing post-Christmas belt-tightening, wet weather and “Dry January.” Pubs and restaurants eked out marginal growth (up 0.4% and 0.3% respectively), while bars fell 4.9% and on-the-go operators dropped 3.2%. Total sales rose 3.1% as new openings lifted growth to roughly match inflation, though NIQ and RSM warned rising labour and other costs are squeezing margins and point to another challenging year for the sector.

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