World Cup quarter-final expected to generate £500m sales boost for UK economy

England fans cheer during a watch party at Boxpark Croydon for the last 16 match between Mexico and England. Photograph: Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images View image in fullscreen England fans cheer during a watch party at Boxpark Croydon for the last 16 match between Mexico and England. Photograph: Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images World Cup quarter-final expected to generate £500m sales boost for UK economy As England prepare to take on Norway on Saturday, sales of pints, takeaways and new TVs continue to surge From a cosy Norwegian pub to outdoor fan zones packed with hopeful England football fans, Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final between the two nations is expected to generate a multimillion-pound windfall for venues showing the game. The quarter-finals will collectively generate a near half-billion pound sales increase for the wider UK economy, as fans drink 9.3m pints, order takeaways and splash out on new TVs, according to one estimate. ‘What’s more American than baseball?’: World Cup brings fans, chants and verve to the national pastime Read more Some of the biggest beneficiaries include venues staging ticketed watch parties, many of which reported selling out within hours of the final whistle blowing in England’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Mexico in the last 16 on Monday morning . While outdoor fan zones are renowned for pints of beer being launched into the air in celebration, the Kenton Arms in London is more likely to be doused in Akevitt, a Norwegian spirit typically made from potatoes, with flavours of caraway and dill. “I think it’ll be a majority of Norwegians, maybe 70:30 or 80:20,” said Egil Johansen, who has run the pub – a social hub for London’s Norwegian diaspora – for 17 years. “I really wanted to make sure that we get a proper Norwegian vibe in here, which we have had so far,” he said. “On Sunday against Brazil we reached our capacity of 200 about one hour before kick-off and had to stop entry. It’s 100% an extra boost for us this year.” The tournament has already provided a significant uplift for the hospitality sector, with sales in pubs up by 77% on matchdays compared with a typical Tuesday, according to trade body UKHospitality. On Saturday, the sector is expected to make £27.5m from pouring an extra 5.5m pints, the British Beer & Pubs Association (BBPA) said. But many fans will be flocking to outdoor screenings. Live broadcasts of the games on the BBC and ITV regularly cut to images of fans celebrating – or in Scotland’s case drowning their sorrows in stunned silence – at open-air venues, such as those run by Boxpark in London and Liverpool. Matt Snell, chief executive of the street food and entertainment pop-up company, said each match could be worth £500,000 in sales of tickets, drinks and food. “If we reach the final, it’ll be as big as Christmas and the whole month of December for us,” he said. “We had 2,000 people at [Boxpark] Wembley at 4am for the Mexico game on Monday. Tickets for the quarter-final went live at 5am