Brexit vote fails to stop Londoners eating and drinking out as restaurant sales improve

Pubs and restaurants in London saw a 2.9% uplift in life-for-like sales against July 2015

As you get older, you'll learn pretty quickly that you can't party like you did in college (AFP/Getty Images)

The uncertainty surrounding UK’s vote to leave the EU in June has failed to impact July sales in UK’s pubs and restaurant chain as Britons and tourists continued to dine out, new figures reveal.

Britain’s managed pub and restaurant groups saw collective like-for-like sales grow 0.3 per cent in July against the same month last year, despite fears that uncertainty following the EU referendum would lead to a consumer drop, according to a survey by the respected Coffer Peach Business tracker.

In London, which has decisively voted against leaving the EU, sales were up 2.9 per cent compared to July 2015. This compared with a 0.5 per cent drop outside the M25, according to the data.

“The market will be relieved that trade has more than held up post referendum, as confidence among the bosses of pub and restaurant chains took a tumble after the vote,” Peter Martin, vice president of CGA Peach, said.

“Everything suggests it's steady as she goes – based on how the market has been, and how pubs and restaurants have performed more recently we are expecting a fairly flat year ahead with underlying growth around 1 per cent at best,” Jamie Campbell, director of CGA Peach, told the Independent.

Coffer Peach Business tracker closely monitors 33 restaurants and pubs chain including Yo Sushi, Byron and Pizza Express.

The news follows previous reports that Britain’s tourism industry could benefit from the Brexit vote in the short term as international tourists make the most of the weak pound.

Previous research from Tourism Alliance suggested there are 18 per cent more foreign visitors and 11 per cent more British tourists in London in July compared with the same month in 2015.

While Airbnb, an online accommodation website, saw a 24 per cent uplift in London visits in the month after the EU referendum compared with the month before.

"Post-Brexit London is more popular and diverse than ever. Guests from around the world are staying in local homes to experience authentic London hospitality and the diversity we hold dear - from different cultures, communities and experiences to local hidden gems," James McClure, Airbnb general manager for the UK, said.

On Wednesday, the unemployment figures from the Office for National Statistics showed the UK claimant count unexpectedly declined last month.

The claimant count – which measures the numbers in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance and Universal Credit - fell by 8,600 in July to 764,000.

But economists warned the July data from the ONS covers the period up 14 July which means it may not reflect the full extent of any post-Brexit hiring fall.

"This is encouraging but it will be some months before we get a fuller picture as to how far the Brexit vote has dampened the exceptionally strong jobs growth we have seen in the UK over the past three years" said John Hawksworth of PwC.