Wed 23rd Nov 2016 - Greene King Leisure Tracker – eating and drinking out drives leisure spend increase in October Greene King Leisure Tracker – eating and drinking out drives leisure spend increase in October: Eating and drinking out drove an increase in leisure spend during October as households took advantage of half-term, according to the latest Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker. The average British household spent £212 on out-of-home leisure activities, which represented a £6 (3%) rise year-on-year and a £7 (3%) increase month-on-month. There was a year-on-year increase of £7 (8%) in spending on eating out, while drinking out saw a year-on-year increase of £1 (3%). October’s data reinforces trends seen throughout the year so far. Year-on-year, spending on eating out has increased substantially and October is the fifth consecutive month with a year-on-year rise of 4% or greater. Meanwhile, significant year-on-year growth in drinking out continued, the seventh month in 2016 to see a year-on-year increase. However, the long-term decline in other leisure spending was apparent once more, with a £2 (2%) year-on-year fall in spending. It has now seen seven months of year-on-year decline. The increased spending on eating out and decreased spending on other leisure has seen a significant shift in the leisure portfolio of the British public, with eating out now the nation’s dominant leisure activity. The importance of households with children is clear. While households without children have increased spending by £2 (1%) month-on-month, this is dwarfed by the increase in spending in households with children – October saw a £22 (10%) rise in spending, likely driven by half-term. The tracker also showed the pub remains the top destination for festive outings, particularly among young people. Almost 14 million people intend to visit the pub during the festive period, with 28% of Brits planning to head there between 24 and 31 December, 3% more than those expecting to visit a restaurant and 15% more than those expecting to visit a bar. Young people are leading this trend, with 37% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 36% of 25 to 34-year-olds confirming they intend to spend time during the Christmas period in the pub. The tracker also showed that while 31% of men anticipate spending some of the holidays in the pub this year, women are not far behind, with 25% expecting to spend some of the festive period in the pub. Greene King group marketing director Rob Rees said: “Christmas is always a great time for the pub – it offers a festive, comforting and fun environment for all. It’s great to see that the British public is looking forward to the festive season, despite 2016 having been a busy and eventful year, and that many of them will be celebrating in the pub.”