British pub groups ended 2025 with their strongest month of the year, outperforming restaurants and bars as festive celebrations encouraged higher spending, according to the latest NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker.

In December, like-for-like sales across managed hospitality rose by 2.9% — the highest level since April and only the second month in 2025 where growth exceeded 1%.

Pubs led the way, with like-for-like sales up 5.1% compared with December 2024, comfortably ahead of inflation. The tracker shows pubs outperformed restaurants in every month of 2025, supported by a late surge in visits in the run-up to Christmas and New Year.

Restaurants and bars saw more modest results. Like-for-like sales in managed restaurants rose by just 0.8% year-on-year, while managed bars continued to lag behind, with sales down 1.7%. Despite this, December was the best-performing month of the year for both channels.

When new site openings over the past 12 months are included, total sales across managed hospitality groups increased by 6.2% in December — around twice the rate of inflation — highlighting continued investment by larger operators despite ongoing trading pressures.

Growth was slightly stronger outside London, with like-for-like sales rising 3% beyond the M25, compared with 2.8% within it.

Commenting on the figures, Karl Chessell, director of hospitality operators and food for EMEA at NIQ, said December’s growth was steady rather than spectacular, but a late surge in celebratory
drinking meant many pub operators ended the year positively and entered 2026 with valuable additional reserves. He added that strong total growth suggests continued confidence among groups to invest in new sites, despite fragile consumer spending and tight margins.

Saxon Moseley, head of leisure and hospitality at RSM UK, said that while 2025 was a challenging year for the sector, December delivered the best like-for-like performance for restaurants and bars, offering a “glimmer of hope” for 2026. He added that while pubs are well placed to benefit from improving consumer confidence, significant cost pressures continue to weigh heavily on the sector, underlining the need for positive momentum in the year ahead.