UKH welcomes proposals to extend licensing hours for Euros
The Government is currently consulting on proposals to extend licensing hours for pubs until 1am if the English, Welsh or Scottish men's national football teams successfully reach the semi-final of the tournament and if any of these teams subsequently reach the final.
Kicking off on Friday 14 June in Munich, the football tournament will run until Sunday 14 July, with host nation Germany set to play Scotland on the first day of the games.
Key matches
UKHospitality (UKH) chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “Big sporting events, like the Euros, bring huge crowds into pubs and bars to cheer on the home nations and deliver a significant sales boost to venues.
“An approved blanket extension of licensing hours until 1am for these key matches will remove unnecessary hoops for pubs to jump through at the last minute and that is why we wholeheartedly support this relaxation.”
The consultation into the proposals to extend licensing hours is due to come to a close at 11:59pm today (Monday 19 February).
Great progress
In addition, a private member’s bill is also currently being debated in Parliament to make the licensing extension process “easier”, which Nicholls added the trade body was also “supportive of”.
This comes as the latest data from CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker showed sporting fixtures can help boost trade in pubs, with drinks sales in managed venues in growth for the first time in four weeks following the start of the Six Nations Rugby tournament.
Nicholls continued: “The relaxation will allow hospitality to be at the heart of events and, hopefully, celebrate the great progress the home nations will make in the Euros this summer.”
