{
  "id": 19642702,
  "title": "Why the City of London is set for ‘more Christmas parties than ever’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/why-the-city-of-london-is-set-for-more-christmas-parties-than-ever",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-12T11:26:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/city-firms-holding-more-christmas-parties-than-ever/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The City of London is poised for a record-breaking holiday season, with a surge in corporate Christmas parties across the Square Mile, according to Simon Dodd, the CEO of Young’s, a premium pubs chain. Dodd noted that some of his pubs have already adorned their premises with festive decorations two weeks ahead of schedule, reflecting a sharp uptick in corporate interest in hosting workplace celebrations. Young’s has observed an 11% increase in Christmas bookings compared to the previous year, and their CEO assured City AM that this trend shows no sign of slowing down.\n\nThis year, Young’s celebrated a record-breaking £33.4m pre-tax profit in the six months leading up to September, a 9% rise from the prior year, as their revenue soared by 10% to £291m. The firm attributes this success to \"excellent trading\" during the World Cup, which bolstered their overall performance. Fuller’s, another premium pub group with a presence in the City, echoed this optimism by revealing that their first Christmas parties are scheduled for November 13th, a week earlier than the previous year, and that they have witnessed a 16% surge in seasonal bookings compared to the same period last year.\n\nInterestingly, the trend towards corporate Christmas celebrations is also influencing the beverages enjoyed by City workers. While Guinness, a traditional winter favorite, remains popular, there is a noticeable shift towards premium lagers such as Jubel and Asahi. Both Young’s and Fuller’s have reported a surge in demand for these premium drinks despite the colder weather, challenging the downward trend in sales of Guinness, as noted by Diageo, the stout's maker.",
  "summary": "Square Mile pubs will be “jammed to the rafters” in the coming weeks as City firms hold more Christmas parties than ever before, the boss of Young’s has said. Simon Dodd, chief executive of the premium pubs chain, said some of his pubs have put up their Christmas decorations two weeks earlier than in previous [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}