‘Championing On Premise Sport in 2022 & Beyond’ fuses CGA’s consumer research and On Premise sales data for a holistic view of sports fans’ habits and motivations. It shows the scale of the opportunity in sport, with more than half (54%) of consumers now watching live events of some kind—and a third (33%) doing so in pubs and bars.
Among this group, a similar proportion (32%) enjoy sport in venues at least weekly, and one in seven (14%) only watches big sporting occasions there. Football remains their favourite sport by a long distance, with more than two thirds (69%) of sports consumers watching it in pubs and bars.
CGA research for last year’s Euros tournament highlighted the impacts of TV sport in the On Premise—including a gulf in sales figures between venues screening the final, where average daily sales jumped by 64%, and those not showing it, where sales dipped 5%. That tournament was hit by COVID-19 restrictions, but the 2016 tournament triggered sales of an extra 1,340 pints of beer across all matchdays. Spirits and soft drinks also performed well, with average matchday sales uplifts of 9% and 7% respectively. The tournament showed that drinks offers and trade-up promotions can both work well—though domestic nations need to progress deep into the competition for the full benefits to be realised.
CGA’s new report also indicates the best times to start influencing consumers’ decisions on watching the World Cup. The start of planning for festive occasions peaks in September and October, when a fifth (20%) start to think about their celebrations—though a third (32%) have already started to plan or will do so in the next month. The World Cup runs from 21 November to 18 December.
CGA client director Chris Sterling says: “The World Cup brings huge potential for pubs, bars and drinks suppliers—especially because relatively few fans will travel to the tournament, and because Wales have now joined England in qualifying. But with so much overlap with festive occasions, it will also be a tricky one to strategise, and our research can help establish exactly how football fans will interact with pubs and bars in November and December. Businesses that prepare well for the tournament should get an excellent return on investment, and they will be well placed to capture more share of the sports market in 2023 as well.”
CGA client director Chris Sterling says: “The World Cup brings huge potential for pubs, bars and drinks suppliers—especially because relatively few fans will travel to the tournament, and because Wales have now joined England in qualifying. But with so much overlap with festive occasions, it will also be a tricky one to strategise, and our research can help establish exactly how football fans will interact with pubs and bars in November and December. Businesses that prepare well for the tournament should get an excellent return on investment, and they will be well placed to capture more share of the sports market in 2023 as well.”
The ‘Championing On Premise Sport in 2022 & Beyond’ provides many more insights into sports-related occasions for operators and suppliers. It helps businesses understand key trends by types of venue, sport and drinks categories, and bespoke analysis is available to help pinpoint sales and promotional opportunities for brands. To learn more about how it can help your business, email Chris Sterling at chris.sterling@cgastrategy.com.
