RESEARCH
“As a keen cyclist, it’s gratifying to see the participation rate in cycling jumping to 41 per cent of adults in the wake of the Olympics”
The most popular way to spend a
fi nancial windfall continues to be on a holiday (27 per cent), however the drop in the proportion of people who are willing to spend on home improve- ments is signifi cant (20 per cent in 2008 to 11 per cent in 2013). This means people are still prioritising savings (23 per cent) over bigger out- lays, especially big tickets items for the home, home extensions and other major home improvements. Everyone, regardless of their incomes, has tightened their belts.
How is the recession affecting Britons’ holiday habits?
The main effect of the recession has been a decline in the number of over- seas holidays taken by UK residents. While they are less keen to forego their annual holiday abroad, Britons have been taking fewer short breaks abroad and compensating by taking more UK short breaks and day trips.
How can leisure operators take advantage of this trend? There are opportunities for attrac- tions to link up with accommodation partners (if they don’t have their own accommodation on-site) and travel partners to offer special deals, par- ticularly given the rising cost of fuel. Our research has also shown that consumers like the idea of visiting a location where there is a cluster of attractions and entertainment in one place or close together. For fam- ily-orientated leisure, there remains pressure on budgets, so value-ori- entated promotions are likely to fi nd favour, and vouchers are a popular tool being used by operators in order to maintain footfall.
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The Olympic effect has seen a rise in the number of Britons cycling
How are British consumers feeling right now? Consumers are cautiously optimistic; we saw a slight upturn in their confi - dence in the beginning of this year. However, the prolonged economic downturn and continued economic uncertainty means that many habits borne out of the recession are here to stay – for example, savvy shopping is very much ingrained in people’s psyche. A greater drive towards self- suffi ciency (cooking from scratch) means that people are better aware of what goes into their meals and are perhaps also becoming more con- scious of not wasting resources.
What impact is that likely to have on the leisure industry? I think the biggest impact on the lei- sure industry will be the continued price-consciousness of consumers, particularly in those sectors that rely heavily on the family market. Even though sentiment and confi - dence is improving, consumers are still fi nding themselves worse off in real terms every month, because prices continue to grow at a faster rate than earnings. This is going to con- tinue to impact on the spending power of what politicians like to call ‘hard- working families’ for some time.
Read Leisure Management online
leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital
What do you think have been the most interesting fi ndings from Mintel’s research this year? As someone who has been a keen cyclist for the past 35 years, it’s grat- ifying to see the participation rate in cycling jumping to 41 per cent of adults in the wake of a brilliant year for the sport in 2012. Aside from that, our research sug- gests there is tremendous potential for the expansion of the provision of fi tness services outside of health clubs and leisure centres, which could offer a platform to develop member- ships at a later stage. This move away from the ‘built
environment’ is also being driven by increased access to and owner- ship of technology by the general public, driven by the strong growth in ownership of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
What are you working on now? Right now I am writing the latest Mintel report on health and fi tness clubs. It is quite interesting because my counterpart in the US is writing the report for that country at the same time, so for the fi rst time we have been able to co-operate a bit on research and it is interesting compar- ing the two markets. ●
ISSUE 3 2013 © cybertrek 2013
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