Pub visits fall 19% in a year

According to the annual Leisure Wallet report by Zolfo Cooper, people are paying £2.80 less each time they go to the pub or a bar than they were last year with average spend-per-visit now at £15.08.

However, the survey of 3,000 people found that restaurants are more resilient to economic pressure with visits down just 8 per cent and spend-per-visit actually up 40p to £16.42.

Paul Hemming, partner at Zolfo Cooper said: “The pressure on consumer’s disposable income is forcing them to prioritise and they are choosing to cut back more on visits to drinks-led establishments than on dining experiences.

“The challenge for operators is to adapt and thrive in challenging market conditions. There are operators who are doing so but with consumers increasingly opting to stay in rather than go out, the importance of delivering value and customer service is paramount. Looking ahead, the results for restaurants provide some grounds for optimism.”

Regions​

Zolfo Cooper said although the national picture ‘is pretty bleak’ some regions were faring better than others. London is more resilient to the economic situation with more than half of drinkers going to the pub at least once a week and the highest average restaurant spend of any region.

However, operators in the West Midlands and Wales, for example, find it harder to trade as customers in those areas have less to spend and make fewer visits.

“The situation varies across the country. We continue to see the resilience of London, which benefits most from tourism, and this supports the strategy of Youngs, Fullers and Greene King to grow their pub businesses in the capital. As always London will be prime territory for investors, particularly as the city is now less than a year away from the Olympics,” added Hemming.