Every 4 years the nation is gripped by the FIFA World Cup – so how does success or failure on the pitch by England (and the other teams) impact the behaviour of British consumers?
For each week of the World Cup, WDR is sharing relevant findings from the weekly sales of key BWS categories (beer, wines and spirits) in British supermarkets, using data provided by IRI.
In the stores : week 3
- Ale and stout took the top spot for the week ending 28 June with unit volume growth of 13.9%.
- Champagne and sparkling wine continues to grow strongly, with unit volumes up 13.3% and value up 15.7%.
- Cider is still selling well, with unit volumes up 11.2% and value up 9.4%.
- Spirit unit volumes were up 10.3%, value up 3.6%.
- Lager still selling significantly more than last year, although the increase was not as high as in weeks 1 and 2.
- Still wine did not benefit from the World Cup, with the long term downward trend continuing. Unit volumes were down 3.0%, value down 2.9%.
- Net sales for beer, wines and spirits in week 3 were up by £5.7 million compared to the same week in 2013, but were down £37.1 million compared to week 1 of the World Cup.
Tim Wilson, Managing Director of WDR, commented: “The latest IRI data shows that ale and stout have also joined the World Cup party along with cider and lager. Unit volumes in all the core beer and spirit categories grew by at least 10%, whilst still wine remains the bridesmaid, with unit volume and value down on last year.
“Cider in particular has maintained its momentum, with both unit volume and value sales in the last week still up on the 4 weeks immediately prior to the World Cup: unit volume +2.7%, value +6.9%.
“Spirits are not normally associated with major football events like the World Cup or European Championships, but spirit unit volumes have been trading strongly during the first three weeks of the World Cup compared to last year.”
Tim Eales, Director of Strategic Insight, IRI also commented : “…up this week were soft drinks sales, by almost 6%, again compared with the same week in 2013. However, over the three weeks of the World Cup, the value growth for soft drinks has reduced significantly, from 18% in week 1, to 9% in week 2 and just under 6% in week 3. Soft Drink sales were £5.2 million lower in week 3 of the World Cup than they were in week 1. The demise of England may be behind it.”
Summary of key sales movements for beer, wines and spirits :
Contact details for more information
WDR : Tim Wilson 07881 501180
IRI : ukmarketing@iriworldwide.com
For more information click here