Harry Kane and co are expected to trigger a much needed shot in the arm for Britain’s pubs, as well as the high street
England’s World Cup clash with Panama is set to deliver a Super Saturday surge in sales for pubs and shops.
Stores are gearing-up for bumper demand for everything from beer to BBQ essentials – helped by a return to more bearable temperatures as the heatwave ends. However, the sunshine could be replaced by heavy rain and storms in some areas.
A predicted 13.3 million are set tune into Thomas Tuchel’s team’s final group game, hoping for a win after the draw with Ghana.
The match will deliver a £425million jump in sales in pubs and retailers, the website VoucherCodes.co.uk has estimated. Pubs are preparing to serve an extra 4.5 million pints, despite the match kicking-off at 10pm. The fact it is England’s first group match on a weekend means many fans are expected to start early.
It will prove an added boost to pubs, and much needed given the challenges facing hospitality from a surge in costs in recent years. The Mirror has been championing their cause with its Your Pub Needs You campaign.
After the blistering heatwave and red health alerts, the weekend is expected to bring temperatures in the late 20s and highs of 30C. The Met Office is forecasting showers, possibly thundery, in the east and southeast on Saturday, with rain slowly edging into the northwest, but with sunny spells elsewhere.
Dawn Slater, who runs the Garricks Head in Urmston, Manchester, said her World Cup sales had smashed expectations, with the pub having to turn punters away. “It been absolutely amazing – record breaking figures,” she said. “We had to stop entry for the England games because we were so busy.” A confident Dawn is predicting England will get the final, which would mean she sells an extra 50,000 pints. On England’s Panama game, she said: “We have an outside bar set up and a giant screen.”
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “To mark the end of the heatwave, what could be better than heading down the local to cheer on England. Even with the slightly later kick off time, we’re predicting that pubs across the UK will sell an extra 4.5 million pints, with fans thirsty for a quality match. We’re calling on the Government to keep supporting our brilliant pubs, which are the home of live sport, by cutting beer duty to keep pints affordable for all.”
Given the kick-off time, VoucherCodes’ research suggests 72% of fans will decide to watch the match from home, with this predicted to lead to £320.9million being spent in shops.
Clair Hughes, savings Expert at VoucherCodes, said: “It’s great to see football fans are continuing to show up in large numbers to cheer on the Three Lions, but as our data shows, they’re also being budget-conscious. This World Cup is longer than any other international tournament before, so fans will need to pace themselves both emotionally and financially over the next four weeks, if they want to make it all the way to the final whistle.
“Like most things in life, it’s all about balance here. Having those atmosphere-filled trips to the pub along with the more casual at-home viewing sessions is a must for fans wanting to show their support without scoring a financial own-goal.”
Supermarkets and other shops are also preparing for an added boost from the football after a heatwave triggered boom.
The Co-op revealed it had sold 550 tonnes of ice (275,000 packs) over the past four days. It expects to sell 75,000 pizzas ahead of England’s match with Panama.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “With temperatures soaring across the country this week, combined with people watching the football, we’re forecasting a large increase in sales of all the hot weather essentials: ice-cream, lollies, water toys, barbecue favourites and the all-important ice cubes.
“We’re well stocked, and customers are making the most of the great value offers to stay hydrated in the heat and enjoy the warm weather. Our stores are open, and our home delivery, Click+Collect, and Whoosh deliveries are operating as normal; with more than 1.5 million deliveries set to take place over the coming days.”
Tesco is predicting a 60% weekly increase in sales of ice, over 48% increase in the sales of ice cream and ice lollies, and over 44% increase in sales of barbecue meat. It is also expecting an over 72% increase in sales of suncream this week compared to last week.
Asda said it had sold more than one million ice creams already during the heatwave, with forecast of two million being sold between now and Saturday Sun cream sales are up 200% week-on-week already, with inflatable paddling pools expected to rise 400%. Water pistols are up 450% week-on-week as families gear up for water fights, Asda added.
