Heatwave slows retail sales but World Cup boosts online shopping July 14, 2026 June’s scorching heat slowed retail sales, but Brits opted to shop from home instead, sending online sales soaring. Total retail sales in the UK slowed from 3.7 per cent in May to 1.9 per cent in June year on year, in line with this year’s average growth rate, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). [...]
Sports hospitality has never been this good – but which sport does it best? July 13, 2026 | Sponsored It’s impossible to start this column without a mention of England and the World Cup. It felt like interest levels were low at the start of the tournament but England’s heroic performance in Mexico and their nervy win against Norway has got the whole country behind them. Will football finally be coming home? One thing’s [...]
Why Fifa World Cup players are drowning in commercial red tape July 12, 2026 Joshua Charalambous and Ellie Chakarto take a look at why this World Cup is restraining its stars A lot has been made about the star power at the Fifa Men’s World Cup – goals for Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal – and of course, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who both [...]
Pubs to pour five million extra pints during England v Norway World Cup clash July 10, 2026 Pubs are set to score their biggest boost yet for the World Cup when they pour more than five million extra pints during England’s game against Norway this Saturday. As many as 5.5m more pints will be served to thirsty England fans while the Three Lions face off in the quarter final in Miami, bringing [...]
England 2am World Cup victory smashes records for BBC on iPlayer and website July 7, 2026 England’s dramatic World Cup victory against Mexico led to a record-breaking broadcast across the board for the BBC. Over 11m BBC iPlayer requests contributed to the largest ever day on record for the streaming service, hitting 48m requests in total on Monday, while the 3-2 win at the Estadio Azteca attracted a peak live audience [...]
Trump and Infantino: The venomous relationship between sport and politics July 7, 2026 The debacle between Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino proves beyond doubt sport and politics are intertwined, Matt Hardy writes. “I feel disappointed with too many people. They put politics and manipulation, talk about ethics and integrity [first]. If we talk about the history of this game, I am disappointed in a personal way.” Those were [...]
It’s coming home… Where to watch the England World Cup Quarter Final July 7, 2026 The England World Cup match is at 10PM this Saturday and plenty of London venues are already promoting packages, with booking strongly advised. It’s an easier, more sociable time to watch the football this time around – so book before the end of the week to secure tables. Fan activity is said to be so [...]
Young’s pubs score World Cup trading boost July 7, 2026 Young’s has seen a surge in trading as a result of England’s success so far in the World Cup, the pub operator said. The FTSE-listed hospitality firm said its nine per cent jump in revenue in the last 14 weeks was in part driven by the initial stages of the World Cup, where England has [...]
No Wales? No problem: Why I travelled to the World Cup even though my team weren’t there July 7, 2026 He bought tickets to see Wales play in the World Cup before they lost their place. Can Gav Murphy find solace in California despite the lack of his beloved national team? Despite everyone and everything – we are still here!” The words of the Welsh football team’s unofficial anthem, Yma o Hyd, rang out around [...]
Pubs toast England World Cup victory over Mexico July 6, 2026 British pubs served more than six million pints during England’s World Cup victory against Mexico in the early hours of Monday morning. The UK’s hospitality sector was handed a boost after the government decided to allow pubs to stay open until 5am, having initially extended licensing hours until only 1am. The country’s pubs made the [...]