Wet weather dampens sector sales in February: Dismal weather and cautious spending stunted managed hospitality groups’ growth in February, the latest NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker reveals. The tracker – produced by NIQ, powered by CGA intelligence, in association with RSM – indicates a 0.2% fall in like-for-like sales compared with February 2025. It extends a flat 2026 for hospitality after a 0.1% drop in January. Venues’ trading in February was held down by dull and wet weather in many parts of Britain, with Met Office figures showing England received 42% more rainfall than the long-term average for the month. Some consumers were also kept at home by concerns about their disposable incomes amid rising prices and economic uncertainty. These negatives outweighed modest boosts in February from Valentine’s Day and the Six Nations rugby tournament. The tracker shows pub groups outperformed restaurants for the 15th successive month. They grew like-for-like sales by 1.0%, which also marks a 13th positive month in a row for this channel – though it has risen above 4% only twice. Restaurants found it harder to stimulate consumer spending in February, with sales dropping 1.1% year-on-year. Among other channels, bars experienced another difficult month as trading fell 4.1%. The on-the-go segment saw sales slip 5.0%. While like-for-like sales dipped overall, new openings helped managed groups to haul growth roughly in line with the country’s headline rate of inflation in February. On a total sales basis – including at venues launched by hospitality groups in the last 12 months – growth rose to 2.9%. Meanwhile, the tracker’s regional breakdown of sales indicates an almost identical month in London and beyond. Like-for-like sales were down by 0.1% within the M25, and by 0.3% further afield. Karl Chessell, director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA at NIQ, said: “Flat like-for-likes and modest total growth driven by new openings have been the twin trends for hospitality for many months now.”