Third of UK consumers reckon ‘locals’ are important

It’s important to have a good pub near where you live. So find one third of consumers in the UK who reckon it demonstrates their being a part of a community according to research from Mintel.

British Lifestyles – The Emotional Impact of Economic Uncertainty from August 2011 found that even those who don’t frequent the pub so much believe that it’s important to have a good pub nearby.

“It is almost as if a pub is a bit of a status symbol for a community” states Mintel, “even if they don’t use it much, they want to know that they have the option to do so if they wish.”

The research also found that over twice as many people find it more enjoyable to drink in a pub than at home because of the “atmosphere and theatre” of a pub environment.

But notwithstanding this, visits to British pubs are falling with the number of ‘regulars’ over the age of 18 falling from 70 per cent in 2007 to just over 60 per cent.

Mintel found that 35 per cent think that drinking at home is less hassle than going to a bar, 27 per cent that it is more intimate at home while 30 per cent admit to not liking crowded bars.

But the report also finds a strong demand for premium vodka brands among consumers regardless of the current economic situation. “For example, the majority of vodka drinkers believe that they can ‘taste the difference when I drink quality vodka’ (64 per cent) and that ‘it is worth paying more for premium vodka’ (59 per cent)”.

Young people in the UK (18 to 24 years-olds) may drink less wine than any other age group but they spend more per bottle when buying for in-home consumption (£6.25 vs £6.01 on average).. this is as a result of their lack of wine knowledge, believes Mintel, meaning price becomes a barometer of quality and the fact that they are more likely to drink at home for special occasions.

Mintel also reports that Rosé wine is attracting a new younger, C2DE female audience who only drink rosé rather than switching between red and white. This group like the sugary taste of sweeter rosés as an ideal alternative to the likes of liqueurs and alcopops.

More people are also viewing the pub as somewhere to eat rather than to drink while 30 per cent reckon that pubs have been more pleasant to visit since the introduction of the smoking ban.