Parents have increased their drinking out spend by 39% over the past year, according the latest Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker.
The tracker, based on research by YouGov, showed a generally positive month for the eating and drinking out sector in July as spend on other leisure fell sharply.
The data shows average leisure spend per household up 2% year-on-year and flat on June at £209. Eating out spend of £91 per household was up 8% on July 2015 and 3% on the previous month, while drinking out spend rose 7% on last year and 1% compared to June to £47.
The figures show eating out’s share of total leisure spend has risen three percentage points (pps) over the past year to 44%, with drinking out spend rising 2pps to 23%. Other leisure has from 38% to 34% in the same period.
In eating out the rise in spend year-on-year has been driven by families and households in London and the south east, with increases of 15% and 11% respectively, while households without children and those in the rest of the UK saw growth of 7% and 6%. Month-on-month, the figures show the impact of school holidays – households without children reduced their spend by 3% while families spent 19% more on eating out.
The divide is starker in terms of drinking out spend, where households without children spent 9% less month-on-month and remained stable year-on-year, but families increased drinking out spend by 32% and 39% over the same timeframes. On a regional basis, households in London and the south east increased their drinking out spend by 11% year-on-year but cut by 4% on June. In the rest of the country spend was up 5% year-on-year and 4% on June.
This month’s tracker also carries a poll on attitudes to Brexit, which shows a third of respondents expect their household’s financial situation to be worse off this time next year, while only 8% think that there will be an improvement in their prospects. The figures show this to be especially true for younger adults, with 35% of 18 to 34 year olds admitting to being worried about their future finances.
There is also some concern about the wider UK economy, with almost half (47%) of respondents stating that they believe it will contract in the next year. Again, this is most keenly felt amongst younger adults, with 62% of 18-to-24 year olds and 53% of 25-to-34 year olds expecting the economy to decline. These percentages were notably higher than that of over 55 year olds, reflecting a pattern of voting seen in the Referendum.
Rob Rees, Greene King group marketing director, said: “This month’s Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker reveals that the uncertainty created by Brexit is worrying Brits of all ages. The impact of Brexit on personal finances is a concern but, in fact, UK adults are more pessimistic about the prospects of the wider economy and the potential threat of recession later this year.”
