Pubs across the UK are bracing for their biggest day of the tournament as England face Norway in the World Cup quarter-final on Saturday, with an estimated 5.5m extra pints set to be poured and the wider economy expected to receive a near half-billion-pound sales boost.
The British Beer & Pubs Association said the sector alone would make £27.5m from the additional pints, while hospitality sales on matchdays have already climbed 77% compared with a typical Tuesday, according to trade body UKHospitality. The quarter-finals collectively are forecast to generate a near £500m increase for the UK economy as fans down 9.3m pints, order takeaways and buy new televisions, one estimate suggests.
“England v Norway quarter-final expected to generate £500m UK sales boost with 5.5m extra pints.”
Many of the biggest beneficiaries are venues staging ticketed watch parties, some of which reported selling out within hours of the final whistle in England’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Mexico in the last 16 on Monday morning. At Boxpark, the street food and entertainment pop-up chain, chief executive Matt Snell said each match could be worth £500,000 in sales of tickets, drinks and food. “If we reach the final, it’ll be as big as Christmas and the whole month of December for us,” he said.
But not all the atmosphere will be English. At the Kenton Arms in London, a pub run by Egil Johansen for 17 years, the faithful are expected to be mostly Norwegian. “I think it’ll be a majority of Norwegians, maybe 70:30 or 80:20,” said Johansen, who described his pub as a social hub for London’s Norwegian diaspora. “I really wanted to make sure that we get a proper Norwegian vibe in here, which we have had so far.” Against Brazil on Sunday, the pub reached its capacity of 200 about one hour before kick-off and had to stop entry. “It’s 100% an extra boost for us this year,” he added. Instead of flying pints of beer, the pub may be doused in Akevitt, a Norwegian spirit typically made from potatoes with flavours of caraway and dill.
The games are being broadcast live on the BBC and ITV, with cameras regularly cutting to fans at open-air venues such as Boxpark’s sites in London and Liverpool. Scotland’s fans were shown drowning their sorrows in stunned silence after their team’s exit.
With England through to the last eight, the economic windfall could grow. Snell noted that Boxpark Wembley hosted 2,000 people at 4am for an earlier match. If England reach the final, the boost could rival the entire December trading period.