CACI - Research into leisure staff

Member Article

CACI research finds best UK locations for leisure staff availability in midst of crisis

Research conducted by CACI, the consumer and location intelligence specialist, has revealed the UK’s 25 highest revenue leisure regions and their staffing potential, as part of analysis into the staffing crisis within hospitality.

Based on Leisure Footprint catchments, comparing the size of a market and the number of target workers for the sector within reasonable commuting distance, CACI has identified the areas with the biggest spend and volume of potential hospitality staff. Locations high in both include the UK’s second city, Birmingham, which ranks as 7th in CACI’s leisure spend ranking and has by far the biggest pool of potential workers, at 222 per existing venue. Glasgow also ranks highly, 2nd for both leisure spend and potential staff availability (169).

Other locations to see high potential staffing levels include Belfast (3rd with 165 potential workers per existing venue), Coventry (162), Leeds (156) and Leicester (153).

London has six of the 25 best performing leisure destinations in the UK, but the struggles with recruitment are clearly laid out in this research. The capital’s West End, Covent Garden, and Victoria rank 1st, 10th, and 17th in the UK for spend, but have only 40, 43 and 27 individuals respectively that could reasonably be expected to work at each venue, compared with Birmingham’s 222.

Brighton also appears to have relatively low staff availability at 29, with only Victoria in London having fewer. Edinburgh (62), York (41), and Norwich (85) are three more UK cities that will need to work hard to retain and attract staff to their leisure operators.

Arabella Dalloz, Managing Consultant, Head of Leisure at CACI, said: “The UK economy has been put under immense pressure over the last few years, and while we’re in a much better position as a nation now, the job market has simply been unable to keep up with the returning demand to socialise and enjoy leisure. Across the sector, businesses are having to scrutinise locations in different ways, and consider the number of target workers that live within a commutable distance, before thinking about signing. Cities such as Birmingham, Glasgow, and Belfast have significant recruitment potential, so they will certainly be viewed favourably by expanding brands that are concerned about staffing.

“That said, we shouldn’t forget that the destinations with the lowest volume of potential staff do still have huge spend potential. No leisure brand is going to rule out locations like London, Brighton, and Edinburgh, but by showing staff availability in this research, we can give hospitality operators in particular a great understanding of the challenge faced in these locations. Whether looking to open a new venue, or find more staff for an existing one, they will need to consider who their target staff are, where they live, and how they can therefore attract them.”

This research follows data published by CACI, showing the extent to which consumers are planning to modify their spending, when considering the cost-of-living crisis. The data presents positive opportunities for businesses that can adapt to the changing spending habits of younger generations, with nearly three-quarters (74%) of people aged 18-24 willing to spend more on a brand that aligns with their core values.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nick Thornton .

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