Bars and off-licences in Aberdeen could be raising an extra dram to the bard this weekend – as sales are set for a Burns night boost.
Takings on January 25 last year were up by 61% in off-licences and 21% in pubs from the total in the first three weekends of the month, according to figures provided by payment processing company Worldpay.
The Granite City topped the list of big spending Scots cities on Burns night.
The figures in Glasgow show an increase in pub takings by 16% and off-licence sales up by 27%.
In Edinburgh, trips to the pub on Burns night boosted trading by 19%, while at-home celebrations fuelled a 33% rise in off-licence sales.
Dave Hobday, managing director at Worldpay UK, said: “January is notoriously quiet for on and off-licence traders, so we’re seeing landlords and specialist retailers go all out to coax customers out of their post-New Year austerity with a wee dram or two in honour of Scotland’s greatest poet.
“It is estimated that celebrations around January 25 contribute more than £150million to the Scottish economy each year, and this hasn’t gone unnoticed south of the border. Pubs right across the UK are now looking at Burns Night as a way to kick-start trading after the traditional post-Christmas lull.”
Nick Sullivan, owner of the Aberdeen Whisky Shop on Union Street, said that he expects a boost in sales over the weekend.
He said: “It is a weekend we usually see a lot more customers after people are maybe buying less alcohol at the start of January.
“They also sometimes have whisky left over from Christmas that they haven’t quite used up yet.
“And if they start celebrating Burns Night in England then that will be all the better for Scottish whisky.”