Technomic finds innovative menu items and quality food drives U.K. pub patronage

READING, England, Dec. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers report increased visits to pubs, with 61 percent of consumers frequenting pubs more often than once a month, compared to just half (47 percent) reporting the same incidence a year ago. More consumers are calling on pubs to place greater focus on food offerings and expand their menus to serve a wider variety of dayparts and foods that emphasize freshness, quality and health.

"Consumers look to pubs for more than just traditional English fare and a pint," says Technomic Managing Director Darren Tristano. "By expanding innovative flavours and higher quality foods, providing a more comfortable and inviting ambiance and focusing on high quality service these pubs can satisfy several key consumer motivations. Pubs that can differentiate themselves across these metrics can really thrive."

To help operators and others aligned with the foodservice industry more effectively identify opportunities for growth and establish a strong competitive advantage, Technomic has developed the Market Intelligence Report:  U.K. Pub Update which serves as a companion update to its U.K. Pub Consumer Trend Report.

Interesting findings include:

• Pubs appear to be well-suited for weekday as well as weekend occasions; 45 percent of consumers last visited a pub on a Friday or Saturday and 40 percent visited on a weekday.
• Non-alcohol beverages are increasingly ordered at pubs, particularly by women. In fact, more women report ordering a non-alcohol beverage (54 percent) than an alcohol beverage (50 percent) on their last pub visit.
• Consumers, particularly those aged 18-34 say enhanced menu variety would entice them to visit pubs more often.
• While consumers give major pub brands high marks on beverage quality (88 percent), they give pub chains lower ratings on availability of healthy options (62 percent) and unique items (51 percent).

Market Intelligence Report: U.K. Pub Update digs deep into Technomic's exclusive consumer research and industry data to uncover insights and opportunities in the pub sector. The report draws on findings from a proprietary survey revealing key pub user segments, traffic and occasion drivers, and consumers' evaluations of their most recent visits to more than 15 top pub concepts.

To purchase or learn more about this report please visit Technomic.com or contact one of the individuals listed below.

Contacts
Sales Enquiries: David Wilkinson, +077-1529-1530, or dwilkinson@technomic.com 
Press Enquiries: Darren Tristano, +020-3318-1214, or dtristano@technomic.com

About Technomic

Technomic provides comprehensive global information, analysis and insights to food industry executives, through high quality fact-based consulting, market research, online databases, tracking services and industry events.  Our programmes and services are designed to target the specific needs of leadership, sales, management, marketing and product development professionals.  At Technomic, we're always innovating to keep pace with emerging global markets and trends.  For over 45 years we've been supporting clients' strategic decisions.  Our breadth of research enables us to keep a pulse on food industry, by providing insights into local markets with a global scope.

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