Drinking out spend rocketed in December after a weak November, up 22% with a 13% increase for eating out.
However, figures from the Greene King Tracker show that the average household spend of £84.80 on eating out and £48.14 on drinking out were unchanged year on year. Overall leisure spend of £220.16 was up 5% year on year and 17% against November.
The figures show that eating out spend was driven by families with children, with an 11% (£10) increase year on year, compared to a 4% (£3) decline in spend for adults without children.
Drinking out spend was up by 1% year on year in London and the south east but elsewhere remained unchanged. Month on month increases were evenly spread with a 25% uplift in London and the south east and 21% elsewhere.
Fiona Gunn, marketing director for Greene King said: “This month’s figures provide a welcome boost for the leisure sector, with the festive period proving a strong one for Other Leisure and a robust one for both Eating Out and Drinking Out across Great Britain. Particularly encouraging is that the overall leisure pound appears to be growing - in a desire to do more this Christmas, consumers feeling more secure than they have in recent years decided to spend more, rather than take money out of one leisure activity to fund another. Those in our sector should see the festive season as a good foundation on which to build, and a positive sign that 2016 can be a year of good cheer.”
