Mid-week drinking on the increase

Mid-week drinking is becoming increasingly popular, new research has found.

08:06 24 September 2004

Mid-week drinking is becoming more popular and is expected to rise by 15 per cent over the next five years.

It would appear that hard working Brits are doing their best to maintain a work-life balance by socialising after leaving the office and doing their best to extend the weekend.

The study by independent market analyst Datamonitor also revealed that total spending on drinks by British consumers in bars, cafes, restaurants and hotels is set to increase by almost ten per cent in the next five years.

The annual bar bill will increase from 26.7 billion to 29.1 billion by 2008.

However, Datamonitor also suggested that the rise in mid-week excursions would lead to people consuming less alcohol and turning to lower quantities of premium beverages.

"People are more likely to avoid alcohol due to work commitments," says Danielle Rebelo, the consumer markets analyst at Datamonitor and author of the report. "Rising concerns over health issues associated with alcohol consumption have added to the trend towards non-alcoholic beverages too."

Women are also drinking more, with their per capita consumption of alcoholic drinks increasing by almost 27 per cent in the last five years.

Young British women aged between 18 and 24 are by far the largest consumers of alcoholic drinks in Europe, with annual per capita consumption of 203 litres in 2003, compared to only 63 litres among young Italian women.