With coronavirus restrictions in the UK being eased, Dayalan Nayager, Managing Director of Diageo Great Britain, predicts a “Festive February.”
Speaking at a press conference to accompany the group’s interim results for the six months to the end of December he said: “When the first pandemic ended, people were excited to get back into the trade. We saw the off trade in the UK returned to between 89% and 90% of the pre-pandemic levels; that was until around November last year. We then saw a slowdown through December with the Omicrom variant, but the expectation from the trade and ourselves is, you know, we are excited about it reopening and we think you will get back to a position similar to that prior to December.
“There’s a sense among some people – I’ve talked to them – we could be entering a kind of a Festive February, a kind of a boom time. A kind of pent up demand pours out as people hit the pubs, bars and restaurants. The trends are we’re moving in the right direction.”
