Late-night leisure spend continues to rise but pubs decline as cinemas find favour: Late-night leisure spend has continued to rise but the popularity of the pub is declining as cinemas find favour, according to the latest Deltic Night Index. Average spend on a night out was up 18.8% to £70.56 year-on-year – a 2.7% rise on the last quarter. More than half (55.2%) of respondents have a night out at least once a week – down from 56.3% last year. However, this figure is much higher (73.0%) among 18 to 30-year-olds. Although it remains the most popular option, for the first time there has been a noticeable decline in the number of respondents citing the pub as where they spend the most money each month on a late-night out – 23.9% – compared with 28.9% in the last quarter and 26.3% last year. There has been a steady rise in the number of people spending the most money at the cinema each month – 16.4% – up from 13.6% last year and 14.6% in the last quarter. The study also revealed the impact social media is having on the late-night sector. More than one-quarter (25.5%) said the majority of their social life takes place on a night out, while 23.6% said it takes place online or via social media. More than two-thirds (71.6%) of 18 to 21-year-olds find going out and spending time with people more important than connecting online, a figure that falls to 56.5% for 22 to 25-year-olds. More than half (55.2%) of 18 to 21-year-olds think a night out is “very important” for bonding with friends, compared with 39.7% of 22 to 25-year-olds. When they do go out, 22 to 25-year-olds like to share their experiences on social media. More than half (52.6%) feel it’s “very” or “somewhat” important to share their experience on social media, compared with 39.3% of 18 to 21-year-olds and 34.6% nationally. More than one-third (34.4%) of 22 to 25-year-olds and 33.3% of 26 to 30-year-olds post on social media on a night out or the following day. Deltic Group chief executive Peter Marks said: “It’s always good to see an increase in consumer spend but what’s notable is a more even spread in terms of where Brits are spending their money. For the first time we’ve seen a notable decline in the number of respondents who said they spend it at the pub – although it remains the most popular – and we’re continuing to see an increase in spend at the cinema. I think this reflects the evolving mix available in the night-time economy with more well-invested destinations, which is a good thing.