Dry January is sobering up UK pub sales

This year, many of us are stopping drinking as part of the Dry January challenge, an alcohol-free campaign to promote the health benefits of going sober. But while consumers might be in better health this month, the UK’s pubs, bars, and clubs are reeling.

According to the CGA’s Daily Drinks Tracker, drinks sales dropped in the first full week of this month, as Brits leapt onto the Dry January trend. As reported by the Morning Advertiser, beverage sales were down by 9% compared to the same period in 2024.

This is not just an ethanol exodus, however. Analysis of the data shows that sales of soft drinks for the week to January 11 also fell by 8%, surpassing the decline in beer.

The findings suggest that Dry January is having a knock on effect for UK hospitality, impacting wider drinks sales at a time when business profit margins are already tasting flat. 

Weekend offender

Sales at UK pubs, bars, and clubs have slowed over the past year due to the cost of living crisis. This month, though, the reduced consumer spending power could combine with the Dry January trend to make an unappetising cocktail for area managers.

The Daily Drinks Tracker shows a decline in sales across all major drinks categories for the week ending 11 January. Compared to the same period last year:

• Beer sales are down by 7%
• Cider, wine, and soft drinks sales are down by 8%
• Spirits sales are down by 18%

That consumers are buying fewer diet cokes, not just less booze, this month suggests the anti-alcohol movement may be turning into an anti-drinks movement, as Brits ditch the pub to avoid temptation entirely.

Weekend trading can usually be relied upon to be busier, with the traditional ‘non school nights’ of Friday and Saturday usually picking up the slack during a quieter spending week. 

Reportedly, though, the first few weeks in January have ended not with a bang but with a whimper. On Sunday 5 January, sales were up to 17% lower than on the same day in 2024, while sales on the Friday and Saturday fell by an average of 9%.

Driest January so far

The sober movement has already been threatening cash flow for taprooms. Younger generations are drinking less and UK workplaces are turning away from alcohol, as work from home policies call last orders on after-work drinks. 

Now, research conducted at the end of last year suggests that this Dry January could be the biggest ever. Estimates from Alcohol Change UK, the organisation behind Dry January, found that around 29% Britons were taking part in the 2025 challenge, or 15.5 million people. 

If correct, these figures would break the record set in 2024. Data from the British Beer and Pub Association show that one in five consumers signed up to go sober last January, a fall in custom that could ironically cause a hangover for the industry in the coming months.

Some pub landlords have slashed their prices in response. Cox’s Yard in Stratford has been offering £4 pints throughout January, while the Necarne Arms in Northern Ireland is selling Guinness for £2.50, capitalising on growing demand for the drink.

“Budget will harm pubs more than Dry January”

In December 2024, the Daily Drinks Tracker recorded a positive end to the year. Buoyed by various festive socials and parties, drinks sales in UK establishments were up by as much as 8% in the final two weeks of the year, compared to the end of 2023.

The champagne will likely stay corked in 2025. According to our exclusive survey of SME leaders, hospitality is the least optimistic about the next 12 months, and for good reason.

Come April, a raft of tax rises announced in the Autumn Budget are due. That includes an increase to both employer national insurance contributions and the national minimum wage. Hospitality, where profit margins are already razor thin, will likely be hit hardest.

Short-term, discount offers may help pubs and bars get through the month. But the sector will need something stronger from the UK government if it is to survive the year.

“The Labour budget will do a lot more to harm the pub industry than Dry January will,” says Jesse Wilson, founder and CEO of the disruptive beverage brand, Jubel. “There will be hugely increased costs for operators this year and I think a lot will struggle.”