The start of the school summer holidays and warmer weather has driven a double-digit increase in total household leisure spend. According to figures in the latest Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker report, July saw a 12% increase in total household spending from June, driven by the onset of the school holidays and the continuing popularity of ‘staycations’ in Britain.
All areas of leisure spending have increased this month compared to June, led by Other Leisure which was up 18% to £81, as families looked to keep kids occupied. Drinking Out also showed strong growth with an increase of 14%, as the warmer weather encouraged people out of the home and into ‘beer gardens’.
Steve Jebson, Greene King’s commercial director, said: “The summer holidays are now upon us and July’s leisure spending showed that Other Leisure, which includes activities such as bowling, cinema and live events, blazed a trail as households entertained their kids. Family households led the growth in total leisure spending in July, with these households increasing their leisure spend by 19%, or £40, compared to June.”
The increase in total leisure spending was also driven by other factors, as Steve continues: “We also believe that, despite the growth in the number of those planning a trip abroad this year, the demand for ‘staycations’ remains strong.”
Key highlights
- In July, the average British household spent £202 on out of home leisure, an increase of £22 against June.
- The start of the summer holidays contributed to the increase in Other Leisure spending, which grew by 18% to £81.
- Drinking Out grew strongly in July to £46, up 14%, due to the warmer, sunnier weather enticing households to drink outside of the home. Drinking Out accounted for 23% of average household spend, which is its highest share since the Leisure Spend Tracker started.
- Eating Out continued to rise; with average household spend growing by 5% in July, on top of a 5% rise seen in June.
- Households in London and the South East increased their leisure spend by a similar amount to those in the rest of GB – indicating that the recovery continues to take hold across the country.
- In the lead up to the referendum on Scottish independence, we conducted an investigation titled ‘focusing on Scotland’. This revealed that Scottish households spend more on leisure than those in the rest of GB.
Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker
- The Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker is part of an omnibus questionnaire run on behalf of Greene King by research partner YouGov and analysed in conjunction with Trajectory Partnership.
- The Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker is the first of its kind in Britain and aims to provide greater insights into consumer discretionary spending.
- Focuses on spending patterns across leisure sectors such as eating out, drinking out, gambling, cinema-going, health & fitness and live events.
- Each month’s report is based on an online, nationally representative sample of c. 2,000 individuals (GB, 18+), reflecting the leisure behaviour of c. 2,000 households. Data has been collected every month since August 2013.