Trends in the UK Eating and Drinking Out Market
The long term decline in drinking out in British pubs is set to continue, driven by changing consumer behaviour, relative price positioning and the impact of regulation. Punch Taverns, the UK’s leading pub group operating over 6,700 leased and managed pubs nationwide, expects a 3.1% per annum decline in drinking out in pubs over the next five years.
Punch’s detailed market analysis also confirms that the long term growth in eating out in pubs will continue, driven by economic growth, changing consumer behaviour and improvements in the quality, service and value for money offering in the pub industry, particularly the managed sector. Punch predicts 3.5% growth in eating out in pubs over the next five years.
Geographic and demographic influences will become more apparent and more relevant for the future of the British pub industry. In particular, there is an increasing north/south bias and pubs close to high population densities will outperform those in rural areas.
The regulatory environment will continue to impact the positioning and fortunes of the pub industry; and the number of pubs in the UK will decline with the leased sector experiencing a disproportionate amount of closures and the managed sector continuing to grow.
