Euros boosts London bars by £30m

Drinkers in London spent more than £30 million (US$38m) in pubs and bars on the day that England defeated Switzerland during the Euro 2024 football tournament.

Research from payment company Dojo found that two in five Londoners had increased their spend in the hospitality venues this summer during the Euros. On Saturday 7 July, Dojo found that consumers in London spent more than £30m in the city’s pubs and bars.

Dojo data also showed that Saturday 29 June – the first weekend after pay day for many – saw the biggest day of hospitality spending so far across the UK, with Brits spending more than £160m (US$205m). Two football games in the round of 16 were held on this day with Germany defeating Denmark and Switzerland knocking out Italy.

The volume of transactions in hospitality venues soared by 13% following the opening weekend (15-16 June) of the tournament, Dojo revealed.

Across the UK, nearly a quarter (23%) spent time in pubs, bars and restaurants during Euro 2024. In London, this increased to 46%.

“It’s encouraging to see customers, in London and across the UK, flocking to the pub during the Euros,” said Jon Knott, head of insights at Dojo. “Pubs have faced significant challenges over the last few years and have had to invest in transforming experiences to attract new customers. People spending time with friends and family at pubs is a sign of not just support for football teams, but for the high street and the hospitality industry as a whole.”

Dojo also found that 28% of adults in the UK claimed to always visit pubs or restaurants during football tournaments. The figures increases for Londoners, with 51% heading to hospitality venues.

Nearly a third (28%) of adults across the country will still watch games in the pub after their team have been eliminated, with 51% of Londoners also opting to do so.

More than half (51%) of adults also feel the speed of payments is key to their experience of watching sports in the pub over the summer, with 66% of Londoners having the same opinion.

CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker recently reported that drinks sales in Britain’s hospitality chains rose by 6% in the seven days to Saturday 29 June, boosted by England’s final group stage game at Euro 2024 against Slovenia on Tuesday (25 June).