The London Olympics could give a £300m-plus boost to London’s pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels, according to research undertaken by Bibendum.

The company said spending on food and drink in the sector was predicted to to hit £1.24bn this year, up some £323m on the total spent during 2011.

It reckons that roughly half that figure will be spent in hotels, more than one-third in pubs and bars, and about 13% in restaurants.

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

'There are just 27 weeks until the Opening Ceremony and our job is to ensure our customers are in the best possible position to enjoy a fantastic summer of trading, and capitalise on the opportunity provided by the Games.' About one-fifth of the extra visitors to London will come from overseas, 68% from south-east England and only about 12% from the rest of the UK, Bibendum said.

Meanwhile, more than 2,500 on-trade venues (21% of all London locations) will be directly affected by disruption from the Olympic Route Network (ORN), which will close affected roads between 6am and midnight during the Games, making normal deliveries impossible.

And some 63% of venues will be impacted by the Alternative Route Network, to be used in case of emergency, and the Venue Olympic Route Network, used for venues away from the Olympic Park.

Saunders said the company would be contacting all customers affected by the ORN, adding that a 'nuanced' approach was needed to find practical solutions to the situation.

News item from Imbibe.com, 23-01-2012