Australia’s pubs, bars and spirits brands are in line for a big uplift in sales over Christmas and New Year, according to new research from CGA by NIQ.

CGA’s On Premise Measurement (OPM) service shows spirits sales by volume in the last four weeks of last year were 26% higher than the previous four-week period. This is nearly triple the upswing of 9% for beer volumes and highlights the importance of the festive season for Australia’s On Premise. Spirits with significant upswings include rum (27%), thanks to its popularity both with mixers and in cocktails.

CGA’s On Premise User Survey (OPUS) also indicates that four in five (83%) of Australians will visit pubs, bars restaurants and other licensed premises in the last week before Christmas—significantly more than the 69% who will do so between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.

More than a quarter (29%) of consumers are buying ‘festive drinks’, providing suppliers and venues with an opportunity to incorporate spirits into Christmas-themed menus

Over a quarter (28%) also stay out for longer than usual over the festive season.

CGA by NIQ’s senior manager, customer success – ANZ Tom Graham said: “The next few weeks are crucial for Australia’s On Premise, and for many businesses Christmas trading can make all the difference between positive and negative growth for the year.

“After tough trading conditions in recent months it’s a crunch period for spirits in particular, and with consumers’ confidence rising we can be cautiously confident about seeing a release of some pent-up demand for drinking out. To take full advantage, it’s essential to know exactly where and when to expect uplifts. Our insights provide the starting point for precision-targeting of the right channels, occasions and categories.”

Pictured main: The Charles Bar, Sydney.