World Cup spending to hit GBP £4.5bn, warns survey

Manhattan Associates has published survey findings that put World Cup-related spending by UK consumers at GBP £4.5 billion, while warning retailers face a heightened risk of stock shortages during the tournament.

The research found that 78% of British adults, or about 43 million people, expect to watch the competition. Of those viewers, 76% plan to make purchases linked to it. Average spending among fans is projected at GBP £136.25, with 28% expecting to spend more than GBP £150.

Food, drink and merchandise are among the main spending categories. About 43% of fans said they plan to buy food and snacks for watching at home, 35% intend to stock up on beer, wine and alcohol, and 16% expect to buy a new replica kit.

Some consumers also plan bigger-ticket purchases for home viewing and entertaining. The survey found that 16% expect to buy new BBQs or outdoor cooking equipment, while 10% plan to upgrade televisions or screens.

Spending intentions vary by age group and region. Consumers aged 25 to 34 are expected to spend the most, at an average of GBP £174.78, followed by Gen Z adults aged 18 to 24 at GBP £146.12. London consumers lead regional spending at GBP £160.82 per person.

The findings also point to limited tolerance for out-of-stock items in the run-up to matches. Some 84% of fans said they would travel further to find a product if it was unavailable the day before a game, and 7% said they would travel for more than an hour.

That raises the stakes for retailers managing short bursts of demand tied to match schedules. The survey found that 71% have experienced stock shortages or fulfilment failures during previous major tournaments.

The issue appears most acute in certain sectors. Toys, games and baby products retailers reported the highest level of past disruption, at 89%, followed by fashion and apparel at 80%.

Retailers also attached a significant financial cost to failures during the event. Nearly two-thirds, or 63%, said a stock problem during the World Cup would cost more than GBP £100,000. The average loss was estimated at GBP £116,836, rising to GBP £125,557 in fashion and apparel.

Martin Lockwood, Senior Director at Manhattan Associates, said the combination of concentrated demand and low consumer patience creates a direct commercial risk for sellers that fail to keep products available.

“A tournament like the World Cup compresses months of demand into a few intense weeks, and consumers have made it clear they won’t wait around for a restock,” said Martin Lockwood, Senior Director at Manhattan Associates.

“When 84% of fans say they’ll go elsewhere if a product isn’t on the shelf before kick-off, every fulfilment failure becomes a direct handover of revenue to a competitor. And when demand spikes ahead of kick-off, a forecast alone won’t protect you. Retailers need to see what’s happening in real time, redirect stock quickly and adjust fulfilment before empty shelves turn into lost sales. The retailers who win this summer will be those with a unified, execution-first supply chain – one that’s strong enough to absorb the surge, flexible enough to move stock at speed, and built to protect the promises they’ve made to customers when the pressure peaks.”

Planning ahead

Earlier preparation appears to be linked to fewer problems. Nearly half of retailers, or 47%, said they begin planning stock and supply chain operations more than six months before the tournament, while 87% start at least three months in advance.

Only 1% said they rely on reactive demand planning alone. Among sectors, sport, outdoor and leisure businesses were the earliest planners, with an average lead time of 5.82 months.

That same sector also reported the lowest level of stock problems, at 45%, well below the broader market average of 71%. The data points to a connection between longer planning cycles and better product availability during demand peaks.

Lockwood said the pattern across sectors was clear, but argued that preparation alone would not be enough once consumer behaviour begins to shift during the tournament.

“The correlation is impossible to ignore: the sectors that plan earliest experience the fewest stock failures,” said Lockwood.

“Sport, outdoor and leisure retailers plan nearly six months ahead and, as a result, have roughly half the stock problems of the wider market. But planning alone isn’t enough. Demand during the World Cup moves fast, so retailers need a unified, real-time view of their entire operation – one that lets them see exactly what’s selling, reallocate stock and adjust fulfilment in the moment, all from a single source of truth. Forecasting gets you to the starting line; unified, real-time execution is what wins the game.”