Euro 2016: UK pub sales up 26% on opening weekend

By Sophie Witts

- Last updated on GMT

Euro 2016: UK pub sales up 26% on opening weekend

Related tags United kingdom England

Sales at UK pubs rose by just over a quarter during the opening weekend of Euro 2016, according to point-of-sale technology provider Epos Now.

Average takings were up 26 per cent compared to an average weekend in June with the English, Welsh and Northern Irish national sides all in action.

Wales - whose national team has not qualified for a major football tournament since 1958 - saw the biggest spike in drinks sales (41 per cent) after its players beat Slovakia 2-1 on Saturday (11 June).

English pubs saw a more muted 23 per cent rise in takings for the team’s draw against Russia, while sales at Northern Irish venues were up 29 per cent despite their national side losing to Poland on Sunday (12 June).

Jacyn Heavens, founder of Epos Now, said: “Given that average takings for a summer weekend are typically high anyway, these increases underline the huge level of interest in Euro 2016 across the UK and highlight the tremendous power of live football as a revenue driver for pubs.”

The boozy momentum is expected to continue throughout the week, despite England v Wales kicking off at 2pm this Thursday (16 June).

Epos Now’s projected figures show that the average UK pub can expect a 21 per cent surge on its usual Thursday takings.

Evening sales in Cardiff are expected to rise 32 per cent following a Welsh victory, compared to a more muted nine per cent in London if the English win the match.

The estimated figures are based on sales data from an anonymised sample of 500 UK pubs which use Epos Now’s technology.

Related topics Trends & Reports Casual Dining

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