Leading pub and restaurant groups saw collective like-for-like sales ahead 0.9% in October, according to latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker figures. Total sales, which include the effect of new openings, were up 5.1%, In contrast, retail sales figures for the month were down.
The modest uplift comes despite bleaker news for the economy and consumer confidence. However, the October figures also come on the back of a 2.8% like-for-like rise in September, a 0.6% increase in August and a 1.0% advance in July.
By comparison, figures from the British Retail Consortium / KPMG Retail Sales Monitor show like-for-like sales in the retail sector down 0.6% last month, with total sales up just 1.5% on October 2010.
The full report from Peach Business Tracker can be seen here