Pubs toast England World Cup victory over Mexico
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 most of the longer hours, serving 1.25m more pints than on average for a Sunday, according to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).
This exceeded the trade body’s initial forecast by a quarter and was thanks to the Act of Parliament it developed with MPs, it said.
“Pubs will now be restocking their beer ahead of the next England-Norway match because as every football fan knows, there is no better place than to cheer on the Three Lions than down your local,” BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said.
Sales of cider and lager jumped by 127 and 76 per cent respectively on Monday morning across the pubs managed by beer firm Heineken UK.
Around two thirds of the company’s 2,400 managed pubs stayed open for the round-of-16 game, which kicked off at 2am after being delayed by severe weather.
Total sales at the time of kick-off were up by 4,782 per cent year on year owing to the early-morning timing of the game, Heineken UK said.
‘Meaningful’ boost for pubs
Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Heineken UK’s Star Pubs, said: “Even with a 2am kick-off, fans still turned out to watch the match together, creating an atmosphere you simply cannot recreate at home.
“For pubs, it was a welcome and meaningful boost, not just at the bar, but across food too, and it shows the powerful role pubs continue to play in bringing communities together for big national moments.”
FTSE-listed pub firm Marston’s said about 450 of its 1,300 pubs, bars and inns stayed open, shifting more than 120,000 drinks between 11am and 5pm.
“The atmosphere was everything you’d hope for – passionate, community-spirited and the kind of night that everyone who was there will remember for a lifetime,” director of operations Jared Segwick said.
Greene King said it took 5,300 bookings for the game – more than for England’s round of 32 game versus Ghana, despite the later kick-off time.
Jodie Tate, the pub firm’s chief operating officer, said: “When you can’t be in the stadium, customers are picking the next best place to watch the games, and that is in the pub, with friends and fellow fans. We can’t wait for the next match.”
High street footfall jumps
The Three Lions’ triumph delivered a wider boost to Britain’s high streets as footfall jumped by 143.6 per cent between midnight and 6am compared to the same time last year, according to data from MRI Software.
Regional cities saw the biggest boost, where footfall jumped 188 per cent, while market towns saw a 175 per cent surge.
Pubs and retailers will hope that England triumphs against Norway on Saturday and makes it all the way to the World Cup final, with an extra £250m of spending up for grabs.