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Pubs, bars, and shops are getting ready for football fever on Sunday when England play Spain in the Euro 2024 final.<\/p>\n
A surge in beer, burger, and pizza sales is expected as fans celebrate the men\u2019s national side\u2019s first-ever major tournament final outside of the UK.<\/p>\n
Peter Stone, who runs The Railway Inn in Westfield, north of Ipswich, is ready for a full house. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe won\u2019t run out of beer,\u201d he told the BBC.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sainsbury\u2019s is forecasting a threefold jump in beer sales while the British Retail Consortium is predicting a 24% jump in food and drink spending from 18-24 year olds.<\/p>\n
Pubs and shops are competing for customers who will either watch at home or at a bar.<\/p>\n
Mr Stone has introduced a special Euros menu alongside the traditional Sunday roast and said his pub will extend food service time to entice more people in.<\/p>\n
Other pubs are also going the extra mile, with The Prince Arthur in Shoreditch opening on a Sunday for the first time since landlord Jesse Charlebois took over 18 months ago.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Mr Charlebois says the pub has introduced drinks promotions, installed an aerial for HD television streaming, and “got all the benches out of the basement”.<\/p>\n
If England win, he believes the pub – and the nation – will benefit. <\/p>\n
“People are going to go nuts, which is great for the country. We need a little bit of good news.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Deborah Risbridger, co-owner of The Elm Tree in Ringwood, a town between Bournemouth and Southampton, is expecting 440 people on Sunday.<\/p>\n
She told the BBC her husband and fellow co-owner is a football coach “and as a result our crowd are all footy mad”.<\/p>\n
Jackie Fairburn, landlady of the Hare and Hounds in Leeds, told the BBC earlier this week she has had to cap attendance at her pub to 400.<\/p>\n
She said she had struggled with the washout summer, as the pub only tends to open up outside when the weather is nice enough.<\/p>\n
Lots of other businesses are also hoping their Euros boost will continue on the weekend:<\/p>\n
The competition between pubs and shops for customers became heated after bars complained about Co-op’s advertising campaign to get people to watch the games at home.<\/p>\n
A Co-op spokesperson said the advert was a “light-hearted” way of showing an alternative to watching at the pub “at a time when the cost of living is high\u201d.<\/p>\n
Supermarkets are adjusting their opening hours to give their staff a chance to watch the game.<\/p>\n
Tesco and Sainsbury’s will close all their smaller convenience stores at 19:30, half an hour before kick off.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile Lidl will open its shops in England an hour later on Monday, so those who have celebrated late the night before can still make it in.<\/p>\n
Despite the seeming lenience from some employers, Kate Palmer, director at employment law adviser Peninsula, encourages caution.<\/p>\n
“Don’t call in sick [on Monday], especially if you had a leave request denied,\u201d she advised fans who might be staying up late on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n
However, while pubs and shops forecast a boom, gigs and festivals may see a drop in attendance from England fans.<\/p>\n
“They are understandably adjusting their plans,” said Richard Davies, founder of ticket resale marketplace Twickets, which he says has seen a rise in activity.<\/p>\n
Wireless Festival organisers said the three-day festival will finish early on Sunday<\/a> so people can watch the game. Other events are also being rescheduled<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n