England's Early World Cup Exit Hit UK Pub Operators

England's Early World Cup Exit Hit UK Pub Operators

LONDON (Reuters) – England’s dismal World Cup campaign in Brazil was doubly disappointing for Britain’s pub operators, with the team’s early exit prompting soccer fans to stay at home to watch the rest of the tournament, leading pub chains said on Thursday.

Mitchells & Butlers, whose chains include All Bar One and Harvester, blamed the soccer showpiece for keeping sales flat at its pubs open for more than a year in its financial third quarter. It said average food spending had fallen in a “weak” eating and drinking market in May and June.

The firm said demand, particularly for food, had picked up again since.

Had England made it past the World Cup’s first-round group stage, that would have been worth 175 million pounds to Britain’s bars, pubs and restaurants, according to a report by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR).

Instead, supermarkets are likely to have benefited as fans chose to buy their food and drink and watch games at home.

Rival pub firm Marston’s, which has a 1,800-strong estate of managed, franchised and leased pubs and is also known for beer brands such as Pedigree and Hobgoblin, said the tournament had failed to ignite sales in its third quarter.

“The impact of the World Cup was broadly neutral, with higher drinks sales offset by weaker food performance in our pubs, and strong sales growth in the off-trade,” the firm said, adding it was confident of meeting full-year expectations.

Read more at Reuters

 

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