on the beach group plc said friday that consumer confidence and demand has recovered in line with loosened coronavirusrelated travel restrictions in the uk and its destinations the uk travel retailer said before the omicron covid19 variant emerged in november group sales were exceeding 2019 levels the last financial year unaffected by the pandemic the omicron variant significantly hit sales in november december and early january but returned to prepandemic levels on jan 13 in the four weeks to wednesday sales were up 50 on 2019 as travel restrictions eased while we are mindful of the ongoing inflationary pressures impacting our core consumer base we look to the future with renewed confidence and believe on the beach is favorably positioned to continue to gain market share as demand for beach holidays further normalizes chief executive simon cooper said