A summer without football may hit like-for-like sales growth but can lead to an even bigger appetite for the Premier League, according to Amber Taverns managing director, James Baer.
Baer told M&C the company had seen sales on the day of Community Shield between Arsenal and Chelsea up 20% on the previous Sunday.
He said operations director Gary Roberts had kept anticipation high throughout the summer with the company’s Summer Without Soccer campaign.
He said: “It interesting because there is so much concern about the knock-on effect on sales a year after the World Cup but it has its down sides too. England matches are a great opportunity but Brazil was a big disappointment and that does leave a hangover. Do customers, having seen England play so badly, then want to go to the pub to watch Germany thrash Brazil? The answer is a resounding no.
“What you see the year after is that the absence of football for two months means the start of the Premier League is more eagerly anticipated. Even the day of the Community Shield – which, remember was played between two London teams – saw us up more than 20% on the Sunday before.
“The Summer Without Soccer campaign helped build anticipation. It was based on an advent calendar promotion developed a few years ago at one of our sites in Middlesbrough.
“It’s a countdown essentially with draws to win prizes. It just helps to build excitement.”
