Euros providing a welcome boost, Cornwall pub owners say

Pub owners in Cornwall welcome the personalized boost the Euro 2024 tournament offers.

It comes as many pubs have struggled to stay in business with high energy bills and the cost of living crisis.

The British Beer and Pub Association estimated that an extra 4-5 million pints would be consumed during the tournament, which would be worth an extra £19-24 million in sales.

Steve Jemmett, owner of The Elliot Arms in St Germans, said: “It obviously increases business for us. It just gives people a reason to get out of the house.”

Venues choosing to show the football are expecting a boost in trade, particularly with the England vs Denmark match kicking off at 5pm BST.

Lloyd Halliday, owner of The Halfway House pub in Polbathic, said: “The five o’clock games will be the ones we benefit from.

“People like to watch together, I feel like I’m supporting the pub at the same time, that’s good isn’t it?”

At the Finnygook Inn at Crafthole, Dylan Greenwood said the restaurant side of the business has generated business.

“The bar can fluctuate and in the middle of the week some people don’t stay out as late, but certainly when the football is on it’s certainly much, much busier,” he said.

The Eliot Arms in St Germans went all out for bunting, balloons and other red and white ephemera.

Owner Steve Jemmett said Sundays are usually quiet after 7pm, but that changed with England’s game against Serbia.

“We had 30, 40, 50 people sitting back, sitting and watching football, until 10 o’clock,” he said.

“With the European Championships, the timing is perfect for us,” he said.