78% pre-load before going to pub

Over 78% of 18-34 year-olds regularly drink at home before going out — a trend that is causing serious damage to the pub trade.

New research from restructuring specialists Zolfo Cooper reveals that 44% are visiting pubs less often and 60% are visiting clubs less often, compared to six months ago.

It blames the availability of cheap supermarket alcohol for the rise in people "pre-loading" before hitting pubs and clubs.

Despite being at pubs for less time, the average spend of those who pre-load is £22.11 — 33% higher than those who don't drink at home first.

"The research connects binge drinking with pre-loading, suggesting that cheap supermarket alcohol is a more serious driver of heavy drinking than the actions of the pub and bar operators," said Paul Hemming, partner at Zolfo Cooper. "The results support the case for those calling for legislation to stop supermarkets pricing alcohol below cost."

Hemming added: "The other interesting trend we will seek to track is the impact of social networking and computer gaming on the consumer's leisure activity. We hear operators bemoaning the fact that people are going out later as a result of the recession but we think this may in fact be a permanent cultural shift for the internet generations which is unlikely to reverse."

Elsewhere the study concurred with other research that suggests the consumer is becoming more value minded — but it also highlighted an interesting facet of modern drinking habits. It found that 26% of those surveyed said they were drinking closer to home to save on travel costs.

On the subject of restaurants it discovered that 39% of those surveyed said they were eating out less, with 67% opting for the pub as their preferred dining experience. Harvester, the Mitchells & Butlers brand, topped the study for a choice of eating a casual meal — and eating out on a special occasion.