England fans drink in Euros final with pub spending spree
The number of orders made at pubs nearly tripled on the day that England played Spain in the Euros final as football fans flocked to watering holes to see Gareth Southgate’s side in their second final in three years.
Transaction volumes on Barclays debit and credit cards increased by 195 per cent on the same date the previous year and over 107 per cent on the previous Sunday.
Across all seven of England’s Euro 2024 matches, transactions at UK pubs and bars rose by 86 per cent on the year on year average, with the growth peaking during the final.
The weekend’s disappointing game against Spain was also the busiest Sunday for pubs and bars this year, with the nation’s public houses earning more on July 14 than on either of 2024’s May Bank Holiday weekends.
Kate Nicholls, CEO of UK Hospitality, said: “These phenomenal figures show the enormous impact the Euros final had on hospitality, with sales tripling to make it the busiest Sunday of the year so far.
“Pubs were packed with fans cheering on England and, while the result wasn’t what we wanted, it reinforced that the pub is the number one place to watch live sport, outside of being there in person.”
Barclays processes nearly 40 per cent of the nation’s credit card transactions, and the figures from the lender are based on data from the pubs that accept card payments using Barclays technology.
Rich Robinson, head of hospitality and leisure at the bank, said: “While not the result England fans will have been hoping for, the hospitality sector will be delighted that England made it all the way to the final, delivering a significant boost across each their seven games.
“Transactions on Sunday were up almost three times what they were last year, so pub landlords will certainly consider themselves winners.
“Let’s hope that this has set the tone for the rest of the summer. Forecasts are hinting that July’s cool and wet weather may be turning a corner later this week, which should unlock more of the UK’s pent-up discretionary spending.”