Britons To Spend £1.3 Billion on World Cup Shopping

With the 2014 World Cup in Brazil due to kick off, market researchers are busy publishing forecasts on all aspects of the tournament and related activities. A Centre for Retail Research report commissioned by VoucherCodes.co.uk estimates that fans will spend as much as £1.3 billion if England passes the group stage. If the team reaches the final, spending could rise to as much as £2.58 billion.

For every goal that England scores, more than 23 million fans will part with an aggregate £198.5 million, which will go on buying sports memorabilia, food and drink. The bulk of this money (£165.3 million) will be spent in Britain as only 5,000 fans are expected to watch the football in Brazil itself. With regards to spending categories, food and drink will top the list as people gather for barbecues and garden parties to get into the World Cup spirit. Some £508 million is forecast to be spent on food and drink if England makes it past the group level. This will expand to over £1 billion if the team gets to play in the final.

Another £255 million of the total will go towards new TV sets and electrical appliances, with the figure jumping to £475 million if England reaches the final. Eating out at pubs, clubs and cafes will also be a major part of the spending spree: £175 million is expected to go towards such activities, going up to £431 million if they make it to the final.

The football tournament is bound to significantly benefit online retailers as many fans will take advantage of home delivery. Additional online spending is projected at £174.7 million if the team makes it beyond the group level and £367.5 million if they reach the final.