By Jordan Reynolds, Independent

Pubs across the UK are anticipating a significant windfall this Wednesday, with an estimated four million extra pints expected to be sold as England face DR Congo in the knockout stages.

This surge in sales could inject an additional £20 million into the hospitality sector, according to projections from the British Beer and Pub Association.

However, the 5pm kick-off time for the Atlanta fixture, a departure from previous 9pm or 10pm BST games, is also predicted to lead to a rise in staff absences, particularly on Wednesday and Thursday.

While some employers are offering flexible working hours, early closures, or even bringing televisions into the workplace, Alan Price, chief executive of BrightHR, still foresees an increase in employees calling in sick.

Andy Tighe, chief strategy officer at the British Beer and Pub Association, welcomed the fixture, stating it would be "a welcome boost to trade".

 

He said: “We’re very excited, it’s a great time, and because it’s the first knockout round as well it’s make or break, so there’s a lot riding on it 

“We are expecting the pubs to be busy.

“All in all, it should be a very positive evening for pubs, we’re very excited.”

He added: “We’ve definitely seen some big upticks across the country in pubs for the previous games as well.

“We’ve seen in previous tournaments that as the tournament progresses, the level of interest only increases.”

Mr Tighe said margins in pubs have been “squeezed and squeezed and squeezed”, so “occasions like this are as important as ever”.

 

He added: “It will be a welcome boost to trade at this time.”

Mr Price, from BrightHR – which provides HR software and advice and works with 68,000 small businesses in the UK – said they have already seen a 5 per cent increase in employees that have booked time off from their systems.

He added: “Some employers are letting staff come in earlier so they can leave early, we’ve had calls saying ‘can we show it on TV in work’, some employers are bringing TV monitors in.

“Some people are working flexi, say you’re processing mortgage applications, that isn’t something that has to be done then, so some employers are being flexible.

“Some businesses are closing early.”

Mr Price also said he thinks there will be an increase in workers calling in sick, adding he believes there will be more sick calls on Thursday rather than Wednesday.

He said: “I think there will be more on Thursday, a lot of employers will have been flexible on Wednesday or had it on in the workplace, so we will see more sickness the day after.”