8.5m pints sold during England vs Senegal match

Average sales of draught beer and cider grew by 22% compared with the previous four Sundays with individual venues having sold some 282 pints, equating to an additional 50 serves per pub or an average of £201 extra for operators.

World lager and stout saw the largest uplifts, growing by 51% and 56% respectively, while flavoured cider saw an increase of 13% with ale having seen an 11% rise in sales.

Tough year 

Additionally, England’s quarter final game drew fans into the pub for an additional 10 minutes and saw an 18% increase to footfall compared with an average Sunday.

However, the number of pints sold during the England vs Senegal match was much lower than previously predicted, with the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) having estimated it would be closer to 15m​.

BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said: “It’s been a tough year for our industry and we know people are feeling the pinch but we’re really hoping fans continue to turn out to support two great British institutions by toasting to the Three Lions at their local pub.”

This comes as previous data​ from Oxford Partnership showed during the two home nations games on Monday 21 November, draught sales in the on-trade were boosted by 50%, equating to an additional 76 pints and an extra £906 income for operators.

Bright end 

Moreover, the latest figures from CGA​ revealed the tournament had aided on-trade drinks sales in exceeding inflation for the first time in recent months, with average sales by volume in the seven days to Sunday 26 November 16% ahead of the same week in 2021.

CGA’s managing director, UK and Ireland Johnathan Jones said: “After months of modest increases well below inflation, the World Cup has delivered some very welcome real-terms growth.

“Pubs, bars and suppliers will be hoping England can now go deep into the tournament and bring a bright end to a difficult year.”