Christmas is always a time of great indulgence, with festive treats piling high on dining tables throughout the holiday season. But this year, the run-up to Christmas will be a little different, as one of the world’s most anticipated sporting events takes place from mid-November to mid-December.
Of course, we’re talking about the FIFA World Cup, which has been moved from its usual summer spot for the first ever winter tournament.
Typically, summer World Cup matches have gone hand in hand with huge upsurges in demand for BBQ food and sharing snacks. Moving the tournament to the winter months will undoubtedly have a huge effect on the types of food we consume during the tournament.
Ordinarily, Brits would’ve been watching games in beer gardens, or out in the sun as they hosted friends at home. This year, we’re expecting far more people to stay home, where they’ll likely be ordering takeaways and shopping deliveries instead.
The team here at Gophr decided to find out more about what we can expect footie fans to be ordering this Christmas, as our hankering for the most delicious festive treats coincides with the biggest games of the year.
We have delved into the data surrounding consumption during the most-watched sporting events, and paired it with facts and figures on what we usually consume during the Christmas period.
Gophr conducted consumer research of 2,000 UK adults to learn more about their plans for the first ever winter World Cup. Gophr’s findings shine a light on what’s to come this winter, from the snacks you might want to stock up on, to the delivery slots you’ll want to book up early.
Football’s coming home. Here’s what we’re going to be eating while we watch it.
Supermarket shopping for the World Cup
This year, supermarkets can expect to see a peak in demand for their services, as shoppers stock up on groceries for both Christmas and the World Cup.
Of the 2,000 people surveyed, 85% stated that they would be planning supermarket shops especially for the World Cup and Christmas. It’s going to be a busy winter for our favourite stores.
December is already one of the busiest months for home delivery services, so this could well cause a surge of delivery requests that might be difficult for even the biggest supermarkets to cater for. If you’re planning to get groceries delivered for either the World Cup or Christmas, you may have to get a slot booked in earlier than usual.
Last minute deliveries for the World Cup
Whilst some people plan to pre-order their shopping, many don’t foresee themselves being organised enough for that and will likely order snacks and drinks on the day.
We found that a number of UK adults (14%) are planning to order their last minute essentials – via services like Gophr – from stores like Asda and Co Op on World Cup match days either before the game or at half time. Thinking of doing the same? You might have to be quick once those match days come around.
What’s on the menu this winter?
World Cup feasts usually revolve around grilled BBQ dishes, salads and snacks, but this year menus are set to be transformed to suit the colder weather. The BBQ menus of past tournaments will be long gone, replaced by more of the food we usually indulge in over the winter months.
Based on our consumer research we’re anticipating a huge demand for cheese boards. According to the data, there’s likely to be over 12 million ordered during the course of the tournament.
It won’t be all about the finger food and canapés this winter, though. We can also expect high levels of demand for all the Christmas classics we know and love. In fact, demand will be higher than usual as people treat themselves to their favourite festive nibbles in the run-up to Christmas, using the World Cup as the perfect excuse to indulge. A sentiment we wholeheartedly agree with!
Football fans will be tucking into huge amounts of traditional Christmas food from mid-November onwards, while they watch the action unfold. Gophr’s research has shown that we can expect an eye-watering 10.7 million mince pies to be bought for the World Cup, along with 10 million pigs in blankets for good measure.
Who wouldn’t be feeling festive after eating all that lot?
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The first winter world cup will have a huge effect on the consumption of all kinds of products, but of course food is top of the agenda for many of us.
This November, get ready for a season of total indulgence as we all turn our attention to Qatar for the 22nd running of the FIFA World Cup. Whether you’ll be nervously watching with a mince pie in hand or you’ve got a huge party planned with all the festive nibbles your friends and family can eat, it’s guaranteed to be unmissable.
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Gophr is a same day courier specialising in fast, reliable and convenient delivery services across the UK. The company provides trusted last-mile delivery solutions throughout the country, with a range of services for all kinds of businesses.
Gophr caters to businesses of all sizes, from household name retail brands to local independent restaurants. To find out more visit uk.gophr.com or visit Gophr’s help centre.
Methodology: The consumer research was carried out by Gophr of 2,000 UK adults between 14th-17th October 2022. Food order figures were estimated based on the percentage from the consumers research against the population of the United Kingdom.
