Pub giant Marston’s cheers Euro 2024 sales boost

Pub group Marston’s has revealed the Euro 2024 tournament delivered a boost to sales as fans flocked to venues to support the England football team in the final.

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.

It said like-for-like sales during the week of the semi-final and final matches jumped by 8%, compared with the same period last year.

This helped to lessen the impact of unseasonably wet weather, and following particularly strong sales this time last year, Marston’s said.

The extra support for the hospitality sector during the European Championships generated nearly £1 billion in additional revenue for local pubs and venues, according to estimates by the Night Time Industries Association.

Pubs and supermarkets benefited from a bumper weekend of sales before England’s defeat against Spain in the final, which was watched by some 24 million across the BBC and ITV.

Meanwhile, Marston’s said its customers were spending well on both food and drinks, with changes to its menu “proving increasingly popular with guests”.

The company has an estate of pubs scattered across the country, including franchises and leased pubs, and hires about 10,000 staff.

Earlier this month, it announced the sale of its stake in UK cask ale brewer Carlsberg Marston’s – which brews beers including 1664, Hobgoblin and Shipyard – to Carlsberg for £206 million.

Marston’s said offloading the spin-off will allow it to focus purely on operating its pub chain and will reduce the amount of debt it holds.

Chief executive Justin Platt, who was formerly an executive at Legoland owner Merlin Entertainments, said: “I look forward to delivering on the opportunities a focused pub business will provide.”

Shares in Marston’s were up by about 4% on Wednesday.