The Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA) has predicted that Scotland’s pubs will be in for a £2.8m boost if the national team manage to qualify for the next round of Euro 2020. The trade body also expect the Tartan Army to buy 360,000 pints during the last group stage game of UEFA EURO 2020 on Tuesday 22nd June against Croatia.
If Scotland beat Croatia, they stand a fantastic chance of progressing to the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time ever.
Despite this, it warned that the boost to pubs from showing the match would still be severely hampered by ongoing restrictions, including one metre social distancing, no standing and curfew on Scottish hospitality.
The trade association says these restrictions are greatly reducing the experience of watching UEFA EURO 2020 at the pub and are limiting the number of customers watching the games at the pub.
Because of this, it estimates that beer sales during the match will be almost 90,000 pints less than if the game was being shown without restrictions. This, the trade association says, will result in a loss of revenue to pubs in Scotland of nearly £350,000 during the match alone, which would have been vital to the sector’s recovery.
Overall, the trade association estimates some 700,000 pints will be sold on Tuesday in Scotland, with 360,000 of those being sold during the game itself.
If Scotland do qualify, an estimated additional 720,000 pints are expected to be sold for the next round of games, delivering a £2.8m boost to the trade.
A survey of 1,000 pub goers by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and KAM Media found that 85% of pub-going football fans believe the current restrictions will negatively impact their experience of watching UEFA Euro 2020 at the pub this summer.*
Half said they would be more likely to watch UEFA Euro 2020 at their pub if all restrictions on pubs are lifted, despite 91% of football fans saying they missed watching matches at the pub during lockdown.*
As more and more individuals receive their vaccination, and to give the nation a return to normality and enjoy such a national occasion as UEFA Euro 2020 properly, the SBPA is urging the Scottish Government to remove all restrictions for pubs as soon as possible. It says lifting restrictions should Scotland reach the knockout stages of the tournament would allow more fans to enjoy the occasion at their local.
Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association, said:
“We expect Scotland fans to buy 360,000 pints in the pub while watching the match against Croatia and if we manage to qualify, an additional 720,000 pints will be sold for the next round, giving the trade a boost of £2.8m.
“It’s going to be a nail-biter of a match but if results go Scotland’s way and we qualify, fans may buy even more pints to celebrate getting through to the knockout stages.
“Despite the boost to pubs in Scotland reaching the knockout stages could have, the current restrictions are still impacting the Euros experience at the pub.
“No standing and limits on group sizes, as well as social distancing and curfew restrictions, are greatly reducing the number of people going to enjoy the game at the pub.
“We expect Scottish pubs to sell 90,000 pints less during the game against Croatia than if the game was being shown without restrictions. It will cost Scottish pubs almost £350,000 during the game alone.
“It’s time for the restrictions on our freedoms to be replaced by the protection of the vaccination and for life to get back to normal. The Scottish government should remove all restrictions as soon as possible. Lifting restrictions in time for the knockout stages of the tournament, if Scotland make it through, would allow fans to enjoy the occasion properly.”
