Pubs boosted by rise in footfall and beer sales as Six Nations kicks off

08-Feb-2022 - Last updated on 08-Feb-2022 at 09:31 GMT

Sales surge: Scottish pubs saw the biggest rise in pint sales as their team edged past England in the Six Nations (credit: Getty/The Good Brigade)

The Six Nations rugby tournament kick-off helped tempt 30% more customers into pubs and bars at the weekend, according to real-time market intelligence business Oxford Partnership.

The group said almost 17.5m pints were served in UK pubs as back-to-back games on Saturday was claimed to be a factor in encouraging people to stay 38 minutes longer than usual.

Statistics showed the average pub enjoyed draught sales of almost 660 pints across the weekend with Scottish fans having cause to celebrate as their team beat England in the Calcutta Cup win, resulting in an uplift of 238 pints sold per venue.

Stout sales boost

Wales followed with 184 extra pints per venue despite losing to Ireland and sites in England sold 149 additional pints.

Oxford Partnership said the biggest winner was the headline sponsors Diageo, which includes Guinness in its portfolio, with stout sales seen to rise 48% over the first weekend.

Lager also performed well, with the premium lager category, made up of brands including Stella Artois, gaining 51% and the world lager category, which counts Birra Moretti, Corona and Peroni in its ranks, up 65%.

Solid recovery ahead

Oxford Partnership chief executive Alison Jordan said: “While it is still early days for 2022, such strong data at the start of the Six Nations indicates a solid recovery is ahead. It is so exciting to see the industry only performing slightly behind 2019, driven by a growing consumer confidence shown in the increased footfall.

“However, we urge Government to continue to support the industry which has been under so much strain over nearly two years.”

MatchPint and KAM Media had predicted a surge in sales at pubs, led by the Six Nations tournament, last week.

Dom Collingwood, co-founder of MatchPint, an app that helps pub customers find where the sports action is being screened, said: “After a December decimated by Covid and January being its usual slow self, the Guinness Six Nations offers a huge opportunity to get people back into pubs and enjoying live sport again.”