Olympics to bring £323m boost

Published: 16 January, 2012

The Olympics will inject £323 million into the London on-trade, according to new research carried out by Bibendum.

Spending on food and drink in the capital's on-trade sector is expected to rise by more than 35% to £1.24 billion. Around half of that figure will be spent in hotels, with pubs and bars accounting for more than a third, and 13% being spent in restaurants.

Bibendum's managing director, Michael Saunders, said: "These numbers opened our eyes to the business potential provided by London 2012.

"There are just 28 weeks until the Opening Ceremony and our job is to ensure our customers are in the best position to enjoy a fantastic summer of trading, and capitalise on the opportunity provided by the games."

Bibendum is sharing the results of its survey with customers, and is using its geographical consumer insight tool Prospect to profile the types of wines and spirits that will be most in demand.

Its research shows that 68% of visitors to London will come from the south east, 12% from the rest of the UK and 20% from overseas.

Travel Disruption
One fifth, or more than 2,500, of London's on-trade businesses will have delivery schedules plunged into chaos as roads are closed during the Olympics.

Research by Bibendum and the Local Data Company shows the Olympic Route Network will be closed to non-Olympic traffic from 6am to midnight each day during the event. But up to 63% of venues face some sort of disruption due to closure of the emergency Alternative Route Network, and the Venue Olympic Route Network.

Bibendum's Saunders said this means it's not as simple as offering 24-hour deliveries. "The situation is much more complicated and demands a far more nuanced approach."

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