Hospitality’s embrace of Galentine’s shows welcome goodwill towards financially punished singles, writes Susannah Streeter in today’s Notebook. Plus more thoughts on ISAs, the rise of gaming and why Britain may actually become an investment haven

Hospitality hones in on singles

My Whatsapp was flooded with messages last week from female friends wishing me a Happy Galentine’s Day. What started a decade ago as a skit on the US sitcom Parks and Recreation has since caught on like a rash here in the UK.

I’m always up for a girls’ night out, and certainly the struggling hospitality scene will have welcomed this extra excuse for celebration with open arms. They certainly wasted no time to advertise bottomless brunches, happy hour cocktails and even Chaat specials on Indian restaurant menus – all targeted at the gals.

It’s refreshing to see the good deals not reserved for couples, but it doesn’t happen enough. The painful cost of being single has been highlighted in the Hargreaves Lansdown Savings and Resilience Barometer. Singletons spend 22 per cent more on essential housing per person than their couple counterparts – despite living in cheaper accommodation. Despite making less per person than their coupled-up counterparts, they also end up spending far more on the essentials. Often, they have to give up on a lot of the fun in life to make ends meet, so it’s little wonder the wave of Galentine’s goodwill has caught the imagination.

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