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Consumers return to clubs ‘exactly’ as pre-pandemic
Brits are now frequenting late-night bars and nightclubs ‘exactly as often’ as they did pre-pandemic, new research claims.
According to the Rekom Night Index, Britons are spending £68.03 (US$88.65) on a night out – almost like-for-like what they were spending in 2019 (£89.50).
Furthermore, today’s revellers are enjoying nights out that last for an average of four hours and 17 minutes – almost as long as the four hours and 35 minutes in 2019. Nights out are occurring on average 1.2 times per week, just like in 2019.
Peter Marks, chairman of Rekom UK, the nation’s biggest specialist nightclub and late-night bar operator, said: “We’re so pleased to be welcoming our guests back to late-night venues and to return to doing what we do best, and it’s fantastic to see such positive public perception around going out, something that is fully reflected by strong business performance we have seen over the past few months.
“People have clearly missed going out. Nightclubs are an important outlet for people to enjoy themselves, and we can see this with spend, frequency and duration of a night out all bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels or better.
“What stood out to me more than anything is the strong positive reaction people have expressed to the night out – whether that’s enthusiasm for returning to pre-pandemic social lives for the younger generation, or the sense of nostalgia from those that might not be going as frequently as they used to. There’s no doubt that the late-night leisure sector is back in full force and people are ready to enjoy themselves.”
Two-thirds of those surveyed (66.3%) said they were keen to go to venues that were shut for a long time because of the pandemic. This figure jumps to more than 80% among 18-21-year-olds.
The most popular reason for a night out was to spend time with friends (65.9%), while 23.6% of respondents said it helped to alleviate stress.
Additionally, 40.1% said going to nightclubs plays a ‘crucial role’ in developing social skills. Of those polled, 36.7% said nightclubs were helpful in learning to socialise as an adult in a controlled environment.
The pandemic had a significant impact on the late-night industry in the UK. Between March 2020 and March 2022, 17% of the nation’s nightclubs permanently closed because of Covid-19 restrictions.