The company, which runs about 1,370 pubs across the UK, said the football lift came after a period of wet weather put a dampener on summer sales
Marston’s, the pub group with around 1,370 establishments across the UK, has revealed that the Euro 2024 tournament provided a welcome boost to sales.
Fans flocked to venues to support the England team in the final, helping to offset a period of disappointing summer sales due to wet weather. During the week of the semi-final and final matches, like-for-like sales surged by 8% compared to the same period last year.
This increase helped to mitigate the impact of the unseasonably wet weather, which had dampened sales compared to the particularly strong performance during the same period last year. The Night Time Industries Association estimates that the additional support for the hospitality sector during the European Championships generated almost £1billion in extra revenue for local pubs and venues.
Pubs and supermarkets enjoyed a bumper weekend of sales in the lead-up to England’s defeat against Spain in the final, which drew an audience of approximately 24 million viewers across the BBC and ITV. Marston’s reported that its customers were spending generously on both food and drinks, with changes to its menu “proving increasingly popular with guests”.
The company, which employs around 10,000 staff, has an estate of pubs across the country, including franchises and leased pubs. Earlier this month, Marston’s announced the sale of its stake in UK cask ale brewer Carlsberg Marston’s, which produces beers such as 1664, Hobgoblin and Shipyard, to Carlsberg for £206 million.
Marston’s has announced plans to unload a spin-off business, a strategic move designed to concentrate its efforts on running its pub empire and slicing down its debt pile. Chief executive Justin Platt, with a history as an executive at Legoland operator Merlin Entertainments, commented: “I look forward to delivering on the opportunities a focused pub business will provide.”
Following this news, Marston’s saw its shares climb around 4% on Wednesday.
