Sales were up 10% for pub and bar operator TCG during the week of Halloweeen which has now become the company’s second busiest period after Christmas and New Year.
Combined with the unusually warm weather for late October, many of its pubs and bars saw sales levels equal to a Saturday on Friday October 31 – with no drop-off on Saturday itself.
Nigel Wright, TCG chief operating officer, said: “We’ve seen Halloween grow in popularity, to the point where it is now second only to the festive season in terms of occasions that customers want to celebrate out of the home.
“It’s a great opportunity for our pubs and bars to add a bit of fun to customers’ experience, whether that’s by offering themed cocktails, decorating the place with pumpkin lanterns or putting staff in fancy dress.
“We encourage our pubs and bars to turn Halloween into ‘Halloweek’ and many of them had their decorations in place well ahead of the night.”
Performance was strong across the board, with standout sites including TCG’s Eerie pubs, which are inspired by horror stories, with sales particularly strong at Slain’s Castle in Aberdeen.
Halloween was also good for TCG’s London bars such as Henry’s Cafe Bars and Via Canary Wharf and its gay pubs in Soho. Pictured above are staff at Henry’s Café Bar in Bromley, London.
Bars popular with younger people such as Bar Release in Worthing and Off the Wall in Chester achieved “excellent” sales.
“Several community pubs, such as the Fatling in Hornchurch and the George Staples in Sidcup, also performed well, proving that Halloween can be an effective sales driver across the estate,” Nigel added.
“What makes a successful Halloween event is the commitment of the bar and pub teams to make it special, and we have once again been impressed by the talent and effort shown by many of our teams, who have pulled out all the stops to create an appropriately horrific atmosphere for their customers.”
