English streets gear up for Euros 2024 and Wimbledon finals

Football and tennis fans are set to boost the hospitality and retail sector over the weekend

LONDON:

English pubs, supermarkets and restaurants are set for a weekend bonanza as fans prepare to tune in to watch England play Spain in the final of the Euro 2024 soccer championship in Germany and before that the Wimbledon tennis men’s singles final in London.

The events will provide a much-needed fillip to the hospitality and retail sector after wet weather meant a subdued start to summer trading. Items from beer, wine and snacks, barbecue food and pizzas to large screen TVs and England shirts, are being snapped up ahead of the major sporting weekend, supermarkets Tesco Sainsbury’s and Asda said and data from Adobe showed.

Britain’s third-biggest supermarket Asda has sold over 20,000 large screen ultra-high-definition TVs during Euro 2024, with more sales expected ahead of Sunday, it said after England beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-final on Wednesday thanks to a dramatic last-minute winner. England face Spain on Sunday for a chance to become the first England men’s team to win a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup and the first on foreign soil.

A spokesperson for JD Sports said its England merchandise sales jumped over six-fold for the semi-final, having already risen by almost three times around last Saturday’s quarter final victory on penalties against Switzerland. Data from Adobe forecast England fans’ spending on team merchandise will have spiked by as much as 1,500% above normal levels the day after the semi-final.

Britain’s biggest supermarket group Tesco said it would shut its more than 1,800 Express stores across England early on Sunday to allow its staff to get home or to the pub in time for the kick-off at 1900 GMT. “Based on our learnings from England reaching the final last time round (in 2021), and also from increasing demand through this tournament, we have a well-rehearsed supply plan in place to make sure all our stores are stocked for the extra demand,” Jason Binks, store ordering manager at Tesco, said.

A Domino’s Pizza Group spokesperson said the group was stocking up on its cheese & tomato and pepperoni pizzas and will be offering a 50% discount on web and app orders from Friday through to Sunday. Not all retailers will be happy though. Away from the supermarkets spending could be compressed as people stay at home ahead of the match instead of visiting the high street, shopping centres and retail parks.