Results, finance, appointments, capital schemes, and more. News in brief from brewers, venue owners, and other hospitality businesses.
Pubs have been given the green light to stay open until 5am on Monday, when England play their next FIFA World Cup game against Mexico.
The government had originally said it would not amend existing licensing extensions for the tournament, but, surprisingly, Sir Keir Starmer has u-turned for this special fixture, which doesn’t kick off until 1am BST.
• Spending in UK pubs increased by as much as 274% compared to usual trade ahead of Tuesday’s England match in the FIFA World Cup.
This points towards a significant number of Brits ditching work early to make it to the pub in time for kick-off, card machine supplier Dojo suggests.
Additionally, Dojo’s insights have revealed that Birmingham generated the greatest increase in full-day pub spend, averaging 126% across the city. Sheffield was second, and London third.
“This reinforces the strong role that these venues are playing as a community hub for World Cup fans, painting an optimistic picture for hospitality venues as they progress through the tournament,” said Charlie Ashworth, head of Research and Insights at Dojo.
• Stonegate has reported record sales during the last England match, against DR Congo. Fans got through 802,000 drinks across Stonegate’s managed and Craft Union pubs, 438,000 more than a typical Wednesday and the busiest midweek night of the tournament to date.
Draught beer accounted for 443,000 pints nationwide, Cruzcampo (54,600) narrowly ahead of Birra Moretti (48,400), while fans got through 30,000 dishes, with fries topping the menu.
James Taylor has stepped down as chief executive of BrewDog. A spokesperson for the company said that the takeover of the business by Tilray Brands there was no requirement for a separate CEO within the internation structure.
