Pubs report 'fantastic' boost from Euro 2024

The Bull I' Th' Thorn in Derbyshire created a "fanzone" outside with an extra bar

England may have been defeated in the Euro 2024 final, but pubs say the tournament has led to a considerable change in their fortunes.

Pubs across Derbyshire have reported seeing more customers through their doors and pulling more pints whenever England were playing.

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) went as far as saying the England squad had "inadvertently saved our sector".

Josh Stubbs, owner of the Bull I' Th' Thorn in Hurdlow, said it had sold "easily 1,000-plus pints" during the final, compared to 20 to 30 on a normal Sunday night.

The Bull I' Th' Thorn was showing England matches throughout the tournament

"Despite the result they have done us proud, it's fantastic," he told BBC Radio Derby.

"It was fantastic for business. Not just mine but I'm sure it affected hundreds and thousands of other businesses positively as well."

The pub, which is in the Peak District, even built an extra bar outside to cope with huge numbers of customers.

"Had we not done that it would have been absolute carnage inside," he said.

"Generally on a Sunday night we wouldn't be doing too much trade. Look at [Sunday] night and we probably had 250 to 300 people there, it was just fantastic."

'Better than Christmas'

Santi Perez, who owns four venues in Chesterfield, said the boost in trade was very welcome amid a difficult time for pubs.

"It's been fantastic for trade and I think it's something the trade wanted, the trade needed," he said.

"This weekend for the final we had our best trading days ever, better than bank holidays, better than Christmas," said Mr Perez, who screened the match at the Duke of Brampton and Brampton Social Club.

"We would expect to do that turnover over two or three days but we were doing it in one day.

"People were queuing to get in the venues and it's never been known. If it was three times as big we still couldn't have got everybody in."

Rachel Matthews said more people had been buying beer from the Dancing Duck Brewery

The Dancing Duck Brewery in Derby said there had been an increase in deliveries to pubs and its on-site shop had also been busier.

"It's what you want every week when you've got two vans going out and coming back, filling up again," said owner and director Rachel Matthews.

"The real increase that we've seen has probably been in our walk-ins for our on-site shop.

"The Saturday before this weekend's final we were probably two or three times busier than we normally would be."

The Dancing Duck Brewery was two to three times busier than normal

The Pear Tree Hotel in Ripley invested £15,000 to create a fan zone in the car park, with the money covering a marquee, large screen, live music, DJ, security and toilets.

"On the day of the final we got around 1,000 to attend," said landlord Tony Sandhu, who added that the atmosphere was "unbelievable".

"It was a big investment and people did attend, but I think the days of just having a small TV in the corner of a pub aren't cutting it any more," he said.

"I've been in the industry probably 25 years and it's the hardest period I've ever known for the pub industry."

'Immense challenges'

The Night Time Industries Association estimates the tournament will have generated nearly £1bn in additional revenue.

Speaking after the final, chief executive Michael Kill said: "I can attest that we witnessed a group of footballers who gave their all on the field in pursuit of a national legacy.

"In doing so, they have inadvertently saved our sector, selling millions of pints throughout the tournament and generating nearly a billion in additional revenue for our local pubs and venues, which have faced immense challenges over the past four years."

Mr Kill said he hoped the effects would last beyond the tournament.

"We hope this will be a pivotal moment that changes the nation's mood and rekindles our spirit and desire to engage, socialise, and celebrate culture," he said.

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