Page 40 - RLI March 2019

RLI LEISURE INSIGHT

WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON?

IN THIS moNTH’S LEISURE INSIGHT pIEcE, paUL NEwmaN,
RSm’S HEad of LEISURE aNd HoSpITaLITy pREdIcTS SomE
of THE majoR TRENdS THaT THE INdUSTRy IS LIkELy To
SEE acRoSS 2019.

ighlighted below are some of the upcoming trends greater visibility regarding sustainability of ingredients, and a
that the leisure and hospitality sector is likely to see focus on demonstrating the local sourcing and ‘farm to table’
Hover the next 12 months, as new and innovative provenance of food offerings. We expect a greater use of
ideas and trends sweep across the constantly changing technology in the supply chain, through RFID tracking, to
consumer landscape. monitor the origins of ingredients. Continued diversity of food
communities, including rapid growth in vegan and flexitarian
The fighT for lunchTime spending diets, will make niche food groups too big to ignore. Expect
The fight for lucrative lunchtime spending is set to intensify more meat and dairy free options on menus going into 2019,
in 2019. Established coffee chains have struggled against food and more inventive ways to replace meat in our diets.
first brands such as Pret and EAT which have encroached on
the high margin caffeine providers. Newer coffee chains such Will hyper personalisaTion become
as Joe & The Juice and Black Sheep have more differentiated The neW norm?
food offerings, but traditional coffee brands have failed to Where science meets food and drink - start-ups and
adapt to growing demand for better quality lunchtime meals. universities are looking at how we can personalise what we
We expect the county’s largest coffee chains to fight back in eat and drink. Imagine making water taste better by altering
2019 with innovative new menus, selective promotions and the colour, taste and smell. Or using our DNA to identify
better loyalty programmes. what we should be eating or more importantly, not. For
many health-conscious consumers taking a swab and posting
london off The boil it back to gain a DNA-based eating and exercise plan is a
With a saturated market, expensive rents and higher no brainer. Throughout 2019 we will see more inventions as
wage costs, London is in danger of pricing new concepts companies look to win the hyper personalisation race. This
out of the market. Loungers, the 144-site bar chain has seen will keep R&D experts busy.
consistent growth and is a tried and tested model. It is said to
be mulling a public listing, all without a single site in London. premium becomes sTandard
Other brands have struggled to gain a foothold outside of We’ve seen the explosion of craft beer, gin, whisky
the capital, demonstrating that London often requires a (everything) and our humble mixers and soft drinks are no
differentiated approach to other areas of the UK. With the exception. Research suggests that consumers now expect
outlook on the UK high street promising to be tough we that this is offered as standard and are prepared to pay more
expect more hospitality businesses to look beyond the UK for a better-quality drink than their ‘usual’. It’s not just drinks
to overseas expansion, either directly or through franchise. though with higher end bar snacks now entering the market.
For many, the expectation is that a premium offering should
social conscience conTinued be available whether it’s alcohol, mixers, snacks or soft drinks.
2018 was the year that public awareness of plastic pollution Restaurants, bars and pubs will up their drinks and snacks
went mainstream, and businesses rushed to react to public game, making premium the standard choice in 2019.
sentiment. 2019 will build on this ethical foundation. Expect
blurring The lines beTWeen Work
and play
Restaurants and bars will jump on the co-working train.
Across London a few forward thinking restaurants and
bars have adopted the co-working revolution as their own,
offering packages or day rates for people to use their spaces
to work during the day. For many this makes perfect business
sense. By offering early stage entrepreneurs a more flexible
place to work operators are getting an uplift in spend during
the quieter parts of the day. We expect to see more offers
like these in hotspots for start-ups around the country.

public gdpr breaches on The horizon
Recent research has found that nearly 50 per cent of
hospitality companies are at risk of prosecution for breaching
GDPR rules and we could potentially see some hefty
fines hitting the headlines in 2019. Businesses will need to
make sure they are looking after their customers’ data and
maintaining compliance with GDPR.

40 reTail & leisure inTernaTional MARCH 2019