Booker’s symbol brands have partnered with ex-footballers to encourage fans to pick up their essentials locally during the World Cup, while Bestway has unveiled a national activation campaign designed to help retailers maximise sales and drive footfall across key match-day categories.
For Booker, Emile Heskey and Robert Snodgrass have been on the road meeting shopkeepers from Premier, Londis and Budgens stores, showcasing trending food and drink products on offer for those looking to shop locally. Their visits to stores in Yorkshire and Glasgow are part of efforts to help their symbol retailers maximise the huge revenue opportunity that the tournament presents.
Colm Johnson, Booker’s retail managing director, comments: “The summer of football is nearly upon us, so stores should assemble their winning lines and best-sellers to encourage football fans to stock up on the essentials locally – whether it’s for a planned purchase or for an impromptu shop.
Read more: Interview: Booker Wholesale
Meanwhile, Bestway’s campaign will run across more than 60 depots nationwide from Friday 22 May to Thursday 16 July 2026, the campaign will support more than 100,000 independent retailers, combining in-depot theatre, digital communications and targeted trade media engagement to help retailers capitalise on heightened consumer demand throughout the tournament leveraging Bestway’s national scale and coordinated execution to deliver consistent impact across the network.
Kenton Burchell, group trading director at Bestway Wholesale, said: “Major sporting tournaments like the FIFA World Cup create significant trading opportunities for independent retailers, particularly across key food and drink categories linked to match-day occasions. Our World Cup 2026 activation has been designed to provide retailers with a clear, structured platform to capture this demand.”
