FRYING THE FLAG
Nation comes to halt at 3pm after BBQ frenzy in temperatures of 32C 30m Brits to watch the game as cup gives UK £6.5billion boost
THE nation will today come to a standstill as England take on Sweden in the latest round of their quest for World Cup glory.
With temperatures hitting up to 32C, millions of fans are expected to light up the barbecues and stock up fridges with cold beers.
And they will be hoping Gareth Southgate’s boys also put on a sizzling display to beat the Scandinavians in our first World Cup quarter final for 12 years.
A record 30 million viewers are expected to watch the clash on TV, along with 5,000 fans at the Cosmos Arena in red-hot Samara. And the match has given retailers a £6.5million boost as supporters buoyed by England’s fantastic run in the competition flock to buy replica kits, booze and food.
That’s better then last year’s Boxing Day sales record of £4.3billion.
A study by Kellogg’s, said over the course of the month-long World Cup, families will splash out an average of £237 on the tournament.
The cereal firm said: “New research reveals UK families will spend around £6.5billion across Britain. As England goes from strength to strength in this year’s World Cup, families will splurge almost £2.5billion on footie merchandise.”
Around 38 million pints are expected to be sunk at home and in boozers with pub takings expecting to top Christmas Eve sales, hitting around £100million.
And take-home drinks could bring in £22million, BBPA supermarket and off-licence sales data indicated. Wetherspoon’s spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “Christmas Eve is a busy night but an England knockout game is a different dimension. We will be very busy.”
The British Beer and Pub Association added: “The 3pm kick-off helps pubs as it is early in the day and the good weather helps trade.”
Asda said it is expecting to flog 8.5 million sausages over a 48-hour period as part of its Operation It’s Coming Home. It said: “Operation It’s Coming Home has been brewing for a while. We’re prepared, the England boys are prepared, hopefully our customers are prepared… it’s coming home.”
Tesco is expected to sell four million burgers, 3.5 million sausages, 50 million bottles of beer and a million bottles of wine.
Kantar Worldpanel strategic insight director Matt Botham said: “We’re looking at an extra 4 million trips to the shops on