Spending in pubs and hairdressers see huge boosts in weekend earnings

The wet weather didn’t dampen the spirits of people looking for their first pint and evening meal out in England over the weekend.

In pubs, spending across the UK was up 343% on the weekend before.

A similar pattern was seen in hairdressers and restaurants, where spending was up 192% and 11% respectively over the same period, marking a promising start to a new socially distanced experience.

This builds on the momentum from the reopening of non-essential shops on the 15^th June, which up until the end of June had seen face to face and online spending at levels see pre-lockdown

Spending W/E 28th June compared to W/E 1st March

Pubs, restaurants and hairdressers have some way to go before they reach pre-lockdown levels. People spent 65% less at pubs than the average weekend in February 2020 across the UK, 55% less in Restaurants and 49% less with hairdressers.

While this will in part be due to the different speeds at which each nation of the UK is lifting its lockdown, businesses will need to continue to adapt to encourage consumers through their doors.

Encouragingly, there was a clear shift towards spending online with all three taking more money this way than they had done before lockdown (Pubs +12%, Barbers +121% and Restaurants +43%). This suggests that business models are adapting to match the current normal.