World Cup boost fails to land UK services sector on front foot July 3, 2026 A World Cup boost failed to drag the UK’s services sector to growth last month after it recorded its fastest rate of decline in three-and-a-half years as businesses braced for the Andy Burnham coronation. The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global showed a reading of 48.8 in June, falling from 49.3 in May. [...]
Cruyff turn: Starmer allows pubs to stay open for England World Cup game July 2, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has performed a Cruyff turn as he announced that pubs would be able to stay open until 5am for England’s game against Mexico on late Sunday night. Before the change in policy, pubs were set to be forced to kick punters out at half time in the early hours of Monday morning. [...]
Pull an all-nighter for the 1AM England World Cup game at these London pubs July 2, 2026 After a nail-biting game last night Londoners are preparing to watch this weekend’s England World Cup fixture, although the kick off is at the rather unconventional time of 1AM on Monday morning. If you’re staying up on Sunday night into Monday morning to watch the game, there are plenty of options for places to book. [...]
Unilever chief on how to activate 35 brands at the Fifa World Cup June 30, 2026 With the World Cup a sponsor’s heaven, Matt Hardy asks Unilever how the FMCG behemoth activates 35 brands amid a need to be noticed. A number of the brand campaigns at this Fifa World Cup have been sublime, others have fallen a little flat. Activating at a tournament watched by billions across nearly 200 countries [...]
World Cup: How brands will activate as the knockouts begin June 27, 2026 Most eyes will be firmly fixed on the pitch as the World Cup enters the knockout phase next week. But for the discerning observer, there is another contest playing out in the background: what are the sponsors up to? With marketing and sponsorship deals related to the World Cup reported to generate between $2.5bn and [...]
World Cup proves film and music walked in the US so that sports can run June 26, 2026 With the US experiencing football fever Alistair Watkins argues that we have seen this before, with sport following in the footsteps of film and music When people think about European culture making its mark in the United States, they tend to think of music, film and television. From The Beatles to Harry Potter and One [...]
World Cup spending: England fans could spend £150m if they beat Panama June 26, 2026 An England win against Panama at the World Cup on Saturday could lead to an extra £150m in consumer spending, while fans are expected to fork out an extra £22m in pubs across the country this weekend. England are top of Group L, level on points with Ghana, ahead of Saturday’s final match of the [...]
England draw with Ghana worth £20m extra to British pubs June 24, 2026 England’s lacklustre 0-0 draw against Ghana may have lacked fizz but hospitality industry experts estimate it was worth an extra £20m in trade for Britain’s pubs. Thomas Tuchel’s men were held to a goalless 90 minutes in Boston on Tuesday but the late kick-off and blistering weather proved a boon to boozers up and down [...]
Advertising at World Cup: Levi’s genius, hydration breaks and dodging rules June 23, 2026 This World Cup, now well under way, has been dominated not only by the action on the pitch but how much brands are spending off it. An estimated $10bn is being splurged by some of the world’s most recognisable organisations on adverts and campaigns, while some firms are milking the World Cup for free advertising [...]
High streets score big after England World Cup win June 18, 2026 British retailers are celebrating England’s opening World Cup victory after football fever boosted high street footfall. High street retailers scored an 8.6 per cent increase in footfall, with overall footfall across all UK retail destinations up 4.2 per cent, new data from property tech firm MRI Software has revealed High streets became busier during the [...]