Pubs sell 28.5m pints as England exit World Cup

England fans drank an additional 126 pints, Scotland 56 more and Wales, who departed the competition after the group stages, were down 23 pints, according to insights expert Oxford Partnership.

Analysis showed the average pub sold 878 pints across both days, which meant an extra £667 in their tills, which is much needed as bad weather​ and rail strikes have resulted in many Christmas party cancellations.

World lager reigns

Volume category winners changed between the matches, for the England game, sales of world lager were up 69%, stout rose 59% and premium lager grew by 55% whereas for Friday’s games – which were Argentina v Netherlands and Brazil v Croatia – the same categories won but in a different order with stout up 57%, world lager 34% and premium lager 14%.

Statistics revealed the quarter finals matches on Friday and Saturday saw draught beer and cider sales rise 23.3% versus the previous four Fridays and Saturdays while England match against France saw a 33% increase.

Dwell time increased

Meanwhile, customers stayed in pubs for an additional 12 minutes for the England v France game, therefore growing average spend per head. It also meant outlet occupancy rates rose by 16% versus an average Saturday.

Oxford Partnership research previously showed 8.5m pints were sold​ across the on-trade for England’s round-of-16 match against Senegal.

However, this figure was lower than the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) prediction of about 15m pints. BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said at the time: “It’s been a tough year for our industry and we know people are feeling the pinch but we’re really hoping fans continue to turn out to support two great British institutions by toasting to the Three Lions at their local pub.”