F&B outlets a big winner at this World Cup

Singapore

A QUARTER of a football field. That is the equivalent, when spread out, of how many burgers and pizzas Singaporeans have ordered from online food delivery company Deliveroo since the World Cup fever swept the nation a month ago.

Deliveroo's general manager Siddharth Shanker also said that teams such as England, France, and Belgium have been popular among football fans. The biggest bump in orders came on June 24, when England delivered a 6-1 rout over Panama in the group stage, he said.

With a 20 per cent increase in late-night orders, Deliveroo is one of many businesses here that have enjoyed a boost to their sales during the month-long football extravaganza.

Its rivals honestbee and foodpanda also scored more orders after 10pm on match days, though both declined to reveal figures.

To cope with the "overwhelming demand", foodpanda recently expanded its late night delivery zones to include areas in the east and west, said account manager Sumer Singh. Previously, this service was available only residents in central Singapore.

For honestbee, demand has surged for "more sharable" food items such as fried chicken, said general manager Steven Gong.

Porterfetch, which specialises in delivering local fare such as chicken rice and nasi lemak, marked a 20 to 30 per cent increase in sales over the past four weeks. Its average basket size has also risen from S$30 to S$40. This is partly due to a higher frequency of orders above S$80, said co-founder Daniel Chan.

"(Although) the bigger players in the market have also extended their hours, demand has matched our expectations," he added.

The spending did not just come from homebodies this time. Compared to the 2014 World Cup, most food establishments posted stronger sales this year, thanks to more manageable match timings.

Kick-off for the earlier games is at 11pm (Singapore time) this year, with the later matches starting between 2am and 4am. At Brazil 2014, play only started after midnight.

Bjorn Seegers, CEO of pub operator Muddy Murphy Holdings, said: "People can catch the game outside and still make it to work the next day."

Indeed, football fans have also thronged the various bars and restaurants screening live matches, with many establishments seeing a full house on weekends.

Muddy Murphy, which owns sports bars The Penny Black, Muddy Murphy's Irish Pub and Prince of Wales, registered a 15 to 20 per cent hike in consumer spending since the opening match on June 14.

The group installed more television screens at its outlets and increased its headcount by 20 per cent to cope with the larger crowd, said Mr Seegers.

Bar chain Brewerkz also hired additional part-timers at two of its four outlets, while Paprika & Cumin at Chijmes extended its kitchen hours to 4 am.

More diners were also observed at the 22 McDonald's outlets broadcasting matches this year, said a McDonald's spokesman, who said McDelivery sales were up by 30 per cent.

The favourable kick-off times prompted al fresco rooftop bar 1-Altitude and its sister establishment Wildseed Cafe & Bar to screen World Cup matches for the first time. Consumer spending has increased at both outlets, said 1-Altitude's general manager Ian Sim. "At 1-Altitude, our customers are mostly tourists, who tend to buy a drink and take some photos on the rooftop. With match screenings, they have a reason to stay longer, and most of them end up buying another drink."

Retailers are also enjoying more robust sales as television sets get replaced and football jerseys are snapped up.

Electrical, IT and furniture retailer Courts saw a "spike in TV sales" leading up to the World Cup, said Courts country CEO Ben Tan. "Customers are game to catch football action on larger screens and higher definition displays."

At La Vanita, a sports store which specialises in football memorabilia, the team jerseys of Croatia, England and France have been sold out.

First-time finalists Croatia, who beat England 2-1 in the semifinals, will play France in Sunday's final.

La Vanita owner Steve Dadlani said: "Demand has been good, we're experiencing a shortage even though we pre-ordered the jerseys."

Local sporting goods retailer Weston Corporation, which has seven outlets islandwide, saw a four-time jump in sales from 2016, said owner Rajbir Singh Chopra. "It is one of the better World Cup years for us. More people seem to be following the matches this year, and that is good for us because it converts to people buying more merchandise."