Scotland kick off footie tournament tomorrow as indies expect good summer sales
As the Euros kick off tomorrow with Scotland in the opening match against tournament hosts Germany, predictions are for a bumper time at retail, with indie stores expected to net extra sales.
The men’s Euro 24 tournament could prove the biggest signing of the season for convenience stores as well as pub and hospitality venues, with points transferring to the licensed card and calendar side if either Scotland or England do well.
As England get ready to step out for their opening match on Sunday, 16 June, which is also Father’s Day, Danilo has already seen healthy sales of its officially licensed cards for dads.
With the card publisher having Scotland and England cards available, and 2025 calendars for both national teams already in the pipeline, British Retail Consortium (BRC) research at least 4% will be buying official merchandise is good news.
“It’s perfect timing as England play their first game on Sunday,” Danilo md Daniel Prince told PG Buzz, “and we have official England cards at retail for Father’s Day and everyday, and several football displays live.”
And Jeff Moody, British Independent Retailer Association (BIRA) commercial director, said: “The Euros arriving in the summer months is fantastic timing for independent retailers after a challenging period.
“With favourable kick-off times aligning with the sunshine, we’re expecting pubs, hospitality businesses, convenience stores and electrical retailers in particular to cash in as fans flock to watch the matches.”
The £2.75billion spending prediction from BRC surpasses the £2bn boost from the men’s 2022 World Cup, as all home nations group matches have 8pm kick-offs, and fans are expected to spend £96.2million on merchandise, and £37.7m on decorations, which bodes well for gifts and greetings stores.
Separate Adobe data shows a 14.4% spike in tv spending and a 115% jump in online England merchandise sales in May as excitement built for the month-long tournament.
Jeff added: “An England or Scotland run to the latter stages would provide an even bigger boost. It’s crucial this feelgood factor translates into more sales for all types of independent retailers as consumer confidence returns.”
On the football field, Scotland are in Group A with tomorrow’s first match against Germany followed by Switzerland on Wednesday, 19 June, and Slovenia next Sunday, 23 June. England’s Group C games start on Sunday against Serbia, then Denmark on Thursday, 20 June, and Slovenia on 25 June.
Tottenham Hotspur fan Daniel added: “I hope England do well, but I worry about the defence – like everyone else. However, we have some excellent attacking players.”
There was football talk for the Danilo captain at last week’s PG Live too where the accounting had to be made for the annual bet between him and West Ham Utd fan and PG joint owner Warren Lomax on which of their teams will finish higher in the Premier League.
And t was Warren coughing up £50 again as Daniel laughed: “It’s been going on for about 10 years and I think it’s 9-1 to me! I can only ever recall losing once.”
But he’s expecting to be on the wrong end of the Danilo Euros sweepstake: “Sadly, I got Austria, licensing director Dan Grant got Germany, and Laurence, chairman and my dad, somehow got England – I organised it so I didn’t do that very well!”
