Lions share
Fans spend millions in capital
Loyal British Lions fans proudly following their team around the country have contributed to a $4 million spending boost in Wellington, but that figure is expected to rise.
Electronic spending in the capital last week was up almost 25 per cent compared to a typical week in May, Paymark figures show.
About $16.9m was spent at bars, clubs and cafes in Wellington last week, when the city hosted two Lions games – one on Tuesday against the Hurricanes, and the other on Saturday against the All Blacks.
However, the figure included only credit card and eftpos transactions, not cash payments, which Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (Wreda) interim chief executive Derek Fry said was more common with Lions visitors.
‘‘Paymark is a great indicator, we’re really happy to have those insights showing plenty of additional spending last week,’’ Fry said.
‘‘However, there’s a good deal of spend it doesn’t capture, much of it particularly relevant to major international events.
‘‘Accommodation spending isn’t counted, neither is cash spend, which we understand was more common with Lions visitors than locals. It also doesn’t include anything that was pre-booked, either online or through package tours and agents.’’
Earlier last month, Wreda estimated Lions fans would inject $30m into the regional economy during their week-long stay.
About 25,000 visitors packed into Wellington, of which about three-quarters were international tourists.
‘‘It looks good, but the numbers have yet to be fully crunched, and that will take a few weeks yet,’’ Fry said.
Spending in capital topped $471.8m last month, up 8.4 per cent on the previous year.
In addition, an extra $2.6m was spent on food and drinks during the first two days of July, which was probably associated with Saturday’s Lions game, a Paymark spokesman said.
In the week ahead of the Hurricanes’ game spending in bars, pubs, clubs and cafes increased around the country by $5.1m on average, or 10 per cent, over the three days around each game compared with the previous month.
Matt McLaughlin, who owns Dirty Little Secret, Jack Hackett’s, Four Kings and Danger Danger, said it was the biggest week he had experienced during the 12 years in the hospitality sector in Wellington.
‘‘It was pumping. It was the biggest week I’ve ever had. I’ve never seen anything like it … It was even bigger than the Rugby World Cup in 2011. It didn’t even come close to it.
‘‘We did probably six-and-a-half weeks of good trade in a week for Jack Hackett and Four Kings.’’
‘‘We were serving a whole new demographic. They were quite a bit older, were cashed up, wearing nice Lions jackets. All buy rounds.
‘‘We had a full house from 3pm for seven days. Right now, I have three people in my bar, this time last week, I would have had 150.’’
First Retail Group managing director Chris Wilkinson said hospitality businesses were the biggest winners from the Lions’ week-long Wellington visit, with many cafes and restaurants reporting record numbers in the lead up to both games.
Standout trading periods were Friday night, Saturday morning, and Saturday night, he said.
‘‘The city had a distinct carnival atmosphere on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday brought on through sheer numbers in the street.’’
Crowds were more dispersed during the tour, than past major sporting events, Wilkinson said.
‘‘Bars and cafes along the waterfront and lower Lambton Quay were packed with fans increasingly finding destinations through online reviews and profiles, not just location visibility as in the past.
‘‘This is showing a step change from the old days.
‘‘That meant people found many of the city’s hidden gems, so during the week, bars and cafes that would otherwise be local favourites, had Lions supporters making their way in the doors.’’
Supermarkets, convenience stores and pharmacies did ‘‘particularly well’’, however fashion retailers ‘‘lesser so’’, he said.
That had been expected and mirrored previous events, Wilkinson said.