People watch England play Spain in the Euro Cup final shown at the Pub on the Park in London Fields on the 14th of July 2024, London, United Kingdom.
Kristian Buus | In Pictures | Getty Images
LONDON — While the European men’s soccer championship ended in gloom yet again for England, the tournament boosted the nation’s grocery store and hospitality spending — with no and low-alcohol sales seeing a particular boom.
Take-home grocery sales increased 2.2% across the four weeks to July 7, with beer sales up by an average 13% on England match days, market research firm Kantar said in research released Tuesday.
No and low-alcohol beer sales meanwhile spiked 38%, Kantar said, attributing this to the fact that many England matches were held on weeknights.
It is the latest sign of strength in the no and low-alcohol beer market, which has grown rapidly in recent years with offerings from both the brewing juggernauts and incumbents such as Lucky Saint, which is served in cans and on tap in thousands of U.K. pubs and bars.
Research firm IWSR forecasts the U.K.’s total beverage alcohol market will see a 1% decline across volume and value over the next five years, as no and low-alcohol grows 19%. The segment grew 47% from 2022 to 2023, IWSR said in a June report.
The same trend has been observed in the U.S., with the value of total beer sales dipping 2.9% in the 12 months to mid-May as no-alcohol beer rose 33.7%, according to hospitality consultancy CGA.
This new revenue stream and the tailwind from sporting tournaments come as welcome relief to the U.K.’s beleaguered hospitality industry, which has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, rampant inflation and the work from home shift, which has decreased city center footfall in many areas.
CGA said earlier this month that England soccer fixtures had provided an average 21% year-on-year sales boost to British hospitality, with 40% higher group sales.
Trade group UKHospitality previously said it expected Sunday’s final — where Spain defeated England by 2-1 in a nail-biting match — to increase pub and bar sales by 50%.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said it had been a “massive boost” for the industry.
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