The Challenge
The hospitality industry was changing fast. People were moving away from traditional pub environments and reducing alcohol consumption. A major UK pub operator needed to understand the possible and probable ways people would spend their time and money socialising in the future – and what that meant for the long-term direction of the business.
The Work
We built a Future of Socialising blueprint, drawing on macro drivers of change and emerging trends shaping how people socialise. The research combined industry expert interviews and roundtable debate, trend signals from diverse unprompted data sources, cultural codes and manifestations, and scenario planning across now, next and future time horizons. This was translated into a strategic portfolio framework – identifying where to maximise existing strengths, reinvent underperforming areas and innovate for future growth.
The Impact
Recommendations on where future growth would lie were presented to the board and acted on decisively. The business has since invested £42 million in its future portfolio in the first half of 2025 alone – and is on track to invest a further £27 million in its partners division, directly driven by the recommendations.
