December delivered a much-needed boost to pubs with the last Friday of trading before Christmas producing a jump in sales that indicated a resurgence of pre-pandemic drinking habits.

According to the report from Oxford Partnership Market Watch, cask beer did well.

“Stout was the big winner over the festive period up 24 per cent, with non- and low-alcohol craft, world lager and apple cider also doing well.

“The biggest loser was premium lager, with core lager and flavoured cider also trailing 2022’s sales.

“In terms of location, city centres showed a welcome revival up 8.2 per cent versus 2022 which was driven by a 4.7 per cent uplift in consumer visit time and a 2.6 per cent increase in visitor numbers.

“We can also see that footfall increased versus last year up 2.6 per cent across all locations with the biggest increases in rural and city-centre venues as we see the welcome return of office parties to celebrate the festive season,” said Oxford Partnership CEO Alison Jordan.

She added: “Suburbia also performed well versus 2022, with all days performing ahead of last year, which is a very strong performance given the huge growth seen in 2022.

“Overall, Christmas 2023 contributed four of the biggest sales days of 2023, which mirrors 2019 and pre-pandemic levels and echoes trends seen in the off-trade.”

“We had all been hoping to see these kinds of results for the on-trade in the run up to Christmas, and thankfully our data demonstrates a really strong festive season for draught sales.”