Over England’s four knock-out matches, average drinks RoS was 25% ahead of the average same days of the week. There were particularly big gains for two categories: LAD (up 34%), thanks to beer’s association with football; and soft drinks (up 25%), as a result of the early games and children watching during summer holidays. However, there were solid uplifts for the spirits (up 14%) and wine (up 4%) categories too—perhaps due to celebrations after England’s victories in three of the four knock-out matches.
In contrast, NIQ’s Scantrack data to week ending 19th August, shows that Grocery sales were subdued (+6.7% Value, -1.9% Unit vs YA), potentially indicating that those shoppers who wanted to join in the world cup celebrations, chose to celebrate in the On Premise.
World Cup trading in the On Premise peaked on Wednesday 16 August, when England beat Australia 3-1 in the semi-final. Drinks sales soared 48% ahead of the average Wednesday—usually a quiet day of the week in the On Premise—with 57% and 53% hikes for soft drinks and the LAD category respectively. As well as sales during the game, trading benefited from celebratory drinks following England’s win.
England’s defeat in the World Cup Final against Spain on Sunday 20 August dampened post-match sales, but nevertheless there was a 33% increase against the average Sunday. Earlier-than-usual alcohol sales helped here, with LAD RoS up by 46% and soft drinks by 33%. Premier League fixtures following the Final helped to sustain sales later in the day despite the disappointment about the result.
England’s first two knock-out games—against Nigeria on Monday 7 August and Colombia on Saturday 12 August—provided smaller but still solid uplifts. Average RoS on the day of the Nigeria game was an impressive 24% ahead despite an 8.30am kick-off, powered by a 31% increase in soft drinks sales. The Colombia match delivered a 13% upswing against the average Saturday.
Paul Bolton, CGA by NIQ client director, GB Drinks, said: “Men’s football World Cups always boost sales in pubs and bars, and it’s great to see that the Women’s tournament now has the same effect. It’s impressive to see how operators overcame the challenge of early kick-offs to sustain sales, making matchdays very positive for soft drinks brands in particular. While the World Cup ended in disappointment for fans, it bodes well for On Premise trading during future big tournaments.”
Paul BoltonCGA by NIQ’s sales measurement service provides authoritative analysis of drinks sales at licensed premises across Britain, including in-depth breakdowns of rate of sale by category, supplier, brand and day. To learn more, click here and email paul.bolton@cgastrategy.com.
