British pubs are set to sell six million extra pints on Wednesday during England's World Cup semi-final against Argentina, according to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA). The match, taking place in Atlanta, kicks off at 8pm UK time.
Massive Boost for Pubs
The BBPA said that on an average Wednesday in July, pubs would expect to sell around eight million pints. The additional six million expected to be sold would represent a 75 per cent increase on this figure. BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said: “Thanks to the World Cup, we’ve seen millions of extra pints sold off the back of home nations matches. Given the nail-biting stakes, we expect Wednesday to be the most successful night of the tournament, with more than six million extra pints potentially sold – which is a bigger boost than we’d normally see on a bank holiday or New Year’s Eve.”
Barclays Data Shows Record Transactions
Data from Barclays, which handles 40 per cent of the nation's credit and debit card transactions, shows that England's World Cup matches have already provided UK pubs and bars with a major boost. Transactions tripled when England beat Mexico on Monday July 6, helped by extended opening hours. Transactions reached a year-to-date-high on Saturday June 27 when England faced Panama, marking a 399 per cent increase compared to this year's daily average. Combined figures for Sunday July 5 and Monday July 6, when the England-Mexico kick-off was delayed until 2am UK time due to weather, payments tripled, up 201.5 per cent year-on-year.
This comes despite half (47 per cent) of those tuning into the World Cup saying they are watching more matches at home than they normally would, due to late kick-off times, according to a survey for the bank. Rich Robinson, head of hospitality and leisure at Barclays, said: “Every win for England is a win for UK pubs, and the World Cup has already provided the industry with a major boost, encouraging midweek and late-night spending.”
Industry-Wide Uplift
UKHospitality chairwoman Kate Nicholls said bookings at hospitality venues were up 70 per cent overall compared to previous tournaments. The industry body said sales had increased by between 30 per cent and 40 per cent on average for matches involving England and the home nations, and predicted a lift of between 40 per cent and 70 per cent for Wednesday's game.
Marston's, which operates 1,300 pubs nationwide, said sales for the Norway match were up 200 per cent compared to the same day last year, with a million drinks sold before and during the match. Greene King said it had 50,000 covers booked for Wednesday's match across 1,000 pubs.
Katie Kirwan, head of brand for booking platform DesignMyNight, said: “It’s probably the biggest year we’ve seen for fan zones in the history of sport across the UK. We’ve seen a lot more pop-up experiences, a lot of venues transforming themselves. Venues that would not normally participate in sports are getting involved. You’ve seen a greater uptake in restaurants, so good news all round.”
