Data from the most recent Six Nations match weekend (25-26 February), found pubs in the capital made up to 8% more in sales revenue when England’s rugby team won its match against Wales versus when it lost against Scotland – and more than four times more than the average amount spent in pubs each day in February across the UK.
London pubs generated an average of £5,633 in sales when England beat Wales on 25 February, which is 8% more than the £5,232 average sales per location when England lost their first game against Scotland on 4 February, according to findings based on transaction data from payment tech provider Dojo.
84% boost from rugby
Overall, the latest Six Nations weekend boosted sales across the UK by 84% with the third weekend of matches generating average sales of £2,480 a day per pub, compared to £1,347 for the whole of February.
Dojo head of customer insight at Jon Knott said: “Live sport is a huge revenue driver for the UK’s hospitality industry. It’s fantastic to see fans across the country going out and helping support their local pubs and restaurants, regardless of who they are backing in the Six Nations.
“However, household finances continue to be squeezed – meaning every pound spent not only costs more but means more.”
Healthy uptick
He continued: “Hospitality venues are under pressure to ensure they deliver the best experiences for their customers, to create loyalty and help drive sales. Those that can do this successfully should see a healthy uptick in sales this weekend.”
England will host France at Twickenham with a 4.45pm kick-off time while the earlier match at 2.15pm will be the likely wooden spoon battle between Italy and Wales in Rome.
There’s always a good opportunity to bring customers in on Sunday too as table toppers Ireland visit Murrayfield to play second-placed Scotland at 3pm.
