Many Britons tightened their belts in the run up to Christmas, with the average British household spending 8%, or £17, less on leisure in November than in the previous month, the Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker has revealed. Overall leisure spending was also down 2%, or £5, compared to this time last year.
Reduced Drinking and Eating Out
The month-on-month decrease was largely the result of a 15% decline in the amount spent Drinking Out in November compared to October, although expenditure on Eating Out and Other Leisure fell by 7% and 6% respectively, when the Rugby World Cup was in full swing. Year-on-year figures were also down for Drinking Out (8%) and Eating Out (7%) while Other Leisure, which includes cinema, bowling and the gym, was unchanged, highlighting the relative resilience of household spending on this category in 2015.
In addition to consumers exercising some caution ahead of the festive period, industry figures have indicated that online sales represented their largest ever share of retail sales during November, helped by a concentration of online activity around Black Friday. Reflecting this, high street footfall fell in the month, something that reduced the number of spontaneous lunches, dinners and drinks out during the month.
Key Highlights
- In November, the average British household spent £188 on out of home leisure, a 2% decrease year-on-year and an 8% fall on the previous month
- Spending on Drinking Out underwent significant declines on both a month-on-month (8%) and year-on-year (2%) basis, with decreases consistent across -+ Britain
- Other Leisure spend saw a 6% fall in November versus October, largely driven by 10% decline in spend on live sports events following the end of the Rugby World Cup
- On a year-on-year basis, households in London and the South East reduced their spending on out of home leisure by 3% versus a 2% fall among households in the rest of Britain
- Family households continue to buck a largely consistent trend in leisure spending, with Other Leisure up £18 (19%) year-on-year – an increase that offsets a £7 fall in spending among households without kids.
Commenting on this month’s Leisure Spend Tracker, Fiona Gunn, Greene King group marketing director, said: “With the Christmas festivities fast-approaching, Brits tightened their belts in November, reducing their spending on Drinking and Eating Out compared to last month. This was exacerbated further by a particularly busy October, when households up and down the country were going out to enjoy the closing stages of the Rugby World Cup and celebrate Halloween.”
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