Heineken has unveiled new research showing that Glasgow’s night-time economy is thriving, with customers spending more than the UK average and travelling further for nights out.
The insight, launched during the brewer’s recent Trade Trek in the city, is part of a wider study covering six UK locations – Glasgow, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Newcastle – and based on anonymised card data from 3,000 venues. In total, the research tracked 128,000 customers spending £12 million over a weekend.
Glasgow’s figures stand out. Over the same weekend, 29,000 customers made 44,000 venue visits within a one-mile radius of the city centre, generating £1.1 million in spend. The average transaction value was £35.03, compared to the national average of £34.53 and a third of those visitors had travelled more than 20 miles, with 93% coming from outside the city centre.
The findings introduce Heineken’s new SOCIAL segmentation model, which groups customers by their purpose on a night out. The six segments are Spontaneous, Organised, Celebratory, Intentional, Adventurous and Let’s Move On.
Two of the most significant for operators are Adventurous and Let’s Move On guests, both of whom visit multiple venues in one evening. In Glasgow, Adventurous guests made up 19% of customers but drove 27% of total spend, the highest of any city in the study. Let’s Move On guests were fewer in number but had the highest per-head spend, averaging £84 across several venues.
The study also highlights a shift towards more deliberate planning. Fridays are dominated by one-drink ‘Single Serve’ visits, while Saturdays see higher spend from socially focused guests.
Heineken has developed a set of tools based on the findings to help operators better understand customer behaviour and tailor their offer to match. “It’s about being relevant to the moment customers are choosing to create,” the report notes.
For Glasgow’s venues, that means recognising the city’s strong position in the market and the growing trend of experience-led, multi-venue nights out.