Can the Euros save our struggling hospitality industry?

As the country waits with bated breath for the outcome of tonight’s final, Rosamund Hall explains that no matter which team comes out on top, a near billion-pound windfall means our pubs and bars will be the real winners

Pubs served up to 90 per cent more pints than usual during England matches (Getty)

I may not be a psychic octopus – or even a regular octopus – but I can predict the winner of today’s big match. You heard it here first: the hospitality sector is going to go home with the trophy.

Whether you love football or loathe it, you can’t deny that the beautiful game has contributed to a dramatic uptick in business for the beleaguered industry these past few weeks, helped in no small part by England making it all the way to the final of Euro 2024. It’s a much-needed boost, helping keep the sector afloat after the battering it has taken over the past few years.

The last Euros took place in 2021, under the grim shadow of Covid. I remember feeling deeply angry at that time – I owned a bar, and the pandemic had all but destroyed our business. The rule of six was a logistical nightmare, and, like many pubs and breweries, we struggled mightily. On a personal level, I had just had a baby, and restrictions meant that my partner had to jump through hoops to see us in hospital – and my parents couldn’t see us at all.

While restrictions were eventually eased and then scrapped altogether, the damage had already been done. According to the auditors Mazars, the number of insolvencies among breweries jumped by a terrifying 82 per cent, from 38 in the previous year to 69 by the end of 2023. Figures published in The Caterer showed that more than 500 pubs closed across the UK that same year. These are grim statistics, which follow a trend that has seen more than 3,000 pubs close in the past six years.

Fortunately for the ailing hospitality sector, the Euros don’t just lift the mood of the nation – they give our pubs and bars some much-needed respite and optimism. Figures released by Access Hospitality last week showed that pubs were serving up to 90 per cent more pints than usual during England matches. Researchers analysed data from more than 26 towns and cities, and Birmingham topped the list with a whopping 77 per cent more pints poured and a 76 per cent increase in sales.

Overall, the Euros are expected to have racked up a near billion-pound windfall for the hospitality sector – more than double the estimated £441.8m spent during the last World Cup. Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of UK Hospitality, said: “The Euros final this Sunday will be a momentous day for the country and our nation’s pubs and bars, which are set to see a sales boost of £120m.”

And it’s not just people going to the pub that is helping to boost the sector. Tesco expects to sell approximately a million pizzas, 800,000 sausages and 180,000 packs of burgers. That’s not to mention an estimated 4 million packs of beer and cider, 1.2 million cans of low- and no-alcohol beer, and 2.5 million bottles of wine. It seems we’re all in for quite the party – let’s hope there’s some leniency at work and school for everyone on Monday!

While I may not be the biggest football fan, events like this are vital for a sector that I love so much. Pubs and restaurants are at the heart of so many of our communities, and deliver so much more than the pints they pour. I hope that we’ve finally reignited our love of going out again – it’s taken a while. We’re still grappling with a cost of living crisis and a damp summer to boot, but our pubs and restaurants need us.

Well, maybe not me – that newborn is now a toddler, which means a nice early night at home watching the final from the comfort of my sofa. Hopefully, just before I head to bed this evening, I’ll hear revellers celebrating in the streets, and crowds cheering in the local pubs as England make history. It really would be lovely if it came home.

Rosamund Hall (DipWSET) is a freelance writer and wine expert