Pubs and bars in the UK have enjoyed a 90% uplift in sales during the FIFA World Cup football matches compared to normal periods, new data shows.
Hospitality businesses have also seen increases for late-night kick-offs, with a 121% rise in transactions from 10pm-1am during prime matches, according to analysis of millions of payment transactions by Square.
During the England v Croatia game on 17 June, there was a 57% lift in daily sales, and a 91% rise on 23 June for the England v Ghana match.
Popular food items ordered at pubs and bars include steak (+9%), pizza (+7%), crisps (+4%), and Scampi Fries (+3%). There was a 6% increase in restaurant reservations.
John O’Beirne, CEO of Square International, said:
“Bars and restaurants are having their busiest late nights in years. With the initial England games kicking off between 9pm and 10pm and others not kicking off until after midnight, the tournament naturally extends the evening economy.
“As such we are seeing consumers take full advantage and spend is significantly up across the whole hospitality sectors. The businesses that will do the best are the ones that will be closely monitoring sales data, and make adjustments throughout the tournament to ensure they are responding to the latest consumer tastes.”
Increased sales will be welcomed by hospitality businesses, many of which are reporting tough times due to increased costs.
The government has reduced VAT from 20% to 5% on children’s meals during the summer to encourage families to eat out, but hospitality groups say reduced VAT should be extended. The #VATsTheProblem campaign is calling for VAT to be cut to 10% for all hospitality.