England’s opening World Cup match has made both winners and losers of Britain’s shop owners.
According to new figures from retail analysts FootFall, England’s win in its World Cup opener has had a double impact on high street retailers, as build up to the competition sparked strong sales at the tills, but on the day of the match, shop visits plummeted.
Shopper numbers on Saturday plunged 22.6% compared to the same Saturday in 2005, as most would be shoppers poured into pubs and bars or took advantage of the good weather to enjoy the build up to the game with friends and family, the report said.
But despite the dip in shop visits, Natasha Burton, spokesperson for FootFall, pointed out that the pre-game build up boosted year-on-year shopper numbers in the three days preceding the game, bringing the total within -2.8% of 2005.
This is much better than the –4% and –5% deficit prevalent throughout much of 2006, she said.
“We may well see figures lifting again as the nation prepares for England’s next match on Thursday,” Burton said.
“A continued good England performance will influence how confident and buoyant the nation feels, and hopefully affecting spending outside of the goods associated with the tournament, boosting other lines.”
