Come on England...for pubs' sake

An England win against Germany on Sunday would see pub revenues increase 5-6%.

That's according to a survey by accountants BDO LLP, which links England's success to a general uplift in consumer spending, especially in pubs.

Reaching the quarter finals would mean an extra £1.35bn for bars, restaurants and retailers - a 5-6% increase.

If England had failed to make it out of their group, the extra sales would be just £850m.

Reaching the semi-finals could see an uplift in spending of as much as 10%, or £2.53bn.

According to the report, even if England had failed to qualify for the tournament, the uplift in sales would have been around 3-4%.

Ian Clayden, leisure and hospitality specialist at BDO LLP, said: "Traditionally, the feel good factor of the FIFA World Cup has resulted in higher growth in consumer spending over the summer months, although not necessarily on match days, with the exception of bars.

"A good tournament for England vastly exaggerates this cash boost for the economy, with the amount of money spent by our footballing nation directly linked to how far England progresses in the competition.

"Undoubtedly, the World Cup is good news for the consumer sector. The competition inspires people to open their wallets not only during but, crucially, after the competition.

"In the past, we have seen a 7% increase in spending when England does well, compared with only a 3% increase when England underperforms."

Meanwhile, a separate survey of 244 consumers by management consultancy firm Empathica found 10% had increased their spending on hospitality and eating out during the World Cup.

But 77% are spending the same or less than before the tournament started.

Empathica managing director Gary Topiol said: "These results suggest that a great deal of caution remains among UK consumers as the UK economy remains uncertain and events unpredictable."