Urban Pubs & Bars records strongest ever Christmas

Urban Pubs & Bars has recorded December trading significantly ahead of previous years, with like-for-like sales growth of 14.5%.

Recording its strongest ever Christmas, the London pub company reported a 40% increase in total covers over the festive trading period.

Chris Hill, managing director of Urban Pubs & Bars, said: “We’ve delivered our best Christmas ever. The energy across the business continues to be fantastic, and this performance is a huge credit to our teams. Finishing the year so strongly puts us in a brilliant position as we head into the new year.”

Earlier this week, Urban Pubs & Bars acquired the Birdcage in East London from Brewdog, marking its sixth acquisition of 2026, only two weeks into the New Year.

The acquisition follows the recent acquisition of five other hospitality venues in January, including the Prince Regent in Herne Hill and a package of four established sites from Brunning & Price.

In October last year, the group also acquired the Albion & East restaurant and bar group, which saw the addition of four London venues: Teatro Hall in Ealing, Canova Hall in Brixton, Botanica Hall in Clapham Junction and Serata Hall in the City of London.

And in 2024, it purchased 11 former Antic hospitality group pubs, including Balham Bowls Club, out of administration.

Urban Pubs & Bars was founded by Malc Heap and Nick Pring in 2014 and has been backed by Davidson Kempner and Global Mutual since 2021.

While pubs have recently hit the headlines for the devastating impact of business rates, the sector has outperformed the wider market across the Christmas period with guests choosing to celebrate the season at their local.

Fuller, Smith & Turner reports 8.2% sales growth against last year, while Mitchell’s & Butlers set a new all-time record for the highest sales day on Christmas Day 2025.