Whisper it quietly, but we’re only a week or so away from the start of June. The summer has supposedly been in full swing for several weeks now – and yet one glance at the skies may make you question if we’re closer to the start of winter.
It’s not just a frustrating time for those of us looking to top up our tans or slip into our bikinis – it’s also having a negative effect on businesses that rely on good weather to boost their sales: including several pub chains.
Not a good time for a drink?
Mitchell and Butlers, one of the leading names in the public house sector, has announced a significant slowdown in sales with the wet weather hitting its trade.
The company, which owns chains such as Harvester and All Bar One, reports that sales at its outlets open for more than a year have barely changed. For the 11 weeks to April 7, its sales growth was 0.2 per cent – that compares to 4.4 per cent growth when there was decent weather in the previous quarter. If you place the two quarters together, its sales are up by 2.7 per cent; with food sales increasing by 3.4 per cent and drink sales rising by 2.2 per cent.
Despite the overall increase in sales, Bob Ivell, who is the company’s executive chairman, states that the outlook for business is uncertain. He believes that cost inflationary pressures should ease during the second half of the year but suggests that the consumer environment remains challenging.
Should you drink at home?
It seems more of us may be willing to drink at home – perhaps inviting friends over to an environment that isn’t so reliant on the weather. Indeed there are plenty of food and drink voucher codes available at Moneysaver.ie that can make your decision to drink at home even smoother on the palate.
For example, if you’re a wine lover you’ll be overwhelmed by the offers available. There is a Vintage Wine Gifts voucher code, which is offering £5 off on orders of any value – and this code is valid until April, 2013. Alternatively, you could get £10 off orders over £60 with this Winedeal.co.uk voucher code: it is valid until the end of June. Or how about getting a free corkscrew and Jamie Oliver recipe cards with a 12bottle case of Bordeaux wines, courtesy of this Wine Hound offer, which expires on May 31? There are also great deals on coffee, chocolates and hampers; so check out the food and drink voucher code section now.