Greene King’s latest Leisure Spend Tracker Report has been released this week. The report covers the month of June and it showed

• Despite the World Cup falling the month, the average British household spend £40 on Drinking Out in June, which was a fall of £3 compared with May.
• Heavy discounting of alcohol by the major supermarkets along with the timing of England’s fixtures and their early exit are thought to have played a part in influencing British household to watch the world cup at home.
• Eating out spending increased slightly in June after a considerable fall between April and May.
• The average British household spent £180 on out of home leisure in June. This was a £12 decline compared with May.

In June, there was a 6% decline in total household leisure spending from May. This is thought to be a direct result of people staying at home to watch World Cup matches. The largest fall (15%) was Other Leisure spending. This category includes activities such as Theatre, live event and bowling which are likely to have been substituted for staying in and watching the tournament on TV.

Those less interest in the Word Cup seem to have been tempted out by the dry weather as Eating Out spend saw a slight increase on 5% compared with May.

Greene King’s Commercial Director, Steve Jebson, said “It has been a mixed month for leisure spending, with Eating Out up, but Drinking Out and Other Leisure down. The World Cup is bound to have affected household leisure decisions, with many choosing to stay at home and watch the tournament on TV. Furthermore, latest figures on consumer confidence have shown that, while people are feeling more confident about the improving economy, on a personal level they are still feeling cautious about their own financial situation.”

Commenting on the heavy alcohol discounting by the supermarkets, Steve added: “We know that people spent more money on beer to drink at home in June, as sales in supermarkets grew by 19%¹ – another reason why this month’s figures are lower than May’s. However, we anticipate that July’s figures are likely to recover, as the weather has generally improved and there are less sporting events on TV.”

From what I have seen over the last couple of weeks, my clients would agree that the England games were on to late to bring the boost they were hoping for. Most of them have seen a sluggish month on the whole.