Bestway Wholesale has unveiled its World Cup 2026 national activation, a large-scale omnichannel campaign designed to help independent retailers maximise sales and drive footfall across key match-day categories.
Building on the strong performance of the wholesaler’s Euro 2024 campaign, which delivered an average +44% sales uplift for participating brands, the World Cup 2026 programme introduces an “even more impactful activation designed to drive retailer engagement and maximise incremental sales across key match-day categories,” it said.
Live now and running across over 60 depots nationwide until 16 July, the campaign will support more than 100,000 independent retailers. It will combine in-depot theatre, digital communications and targeted trade media engagement to help retailers capitalise on heightened consumer demand throughout the tournament.
Timed to align with key matches across the tournament, the activation has been developed to help retailers capture the significant uplift traditionally seen in food and drink sales during major football competitions, and to convert these moments into higher spend per visit through targeted promotions and multibuy mechanics.
At the heart of the campaign is the ‘Bestway Stadium’ concept, with depots transformed into full-scale football environments, creating a dynamic retail theatre designed to drive visibility and sales.
Retailers entering depots will experience immersive football-themed installations including pitch-side hero zones, stadium-inspired displays and tunnel-style brand activations, creating an energetic environment that mirrors the excitement of match day.
Soft drinks, crisps and snacks, confectionery and licensed products were among Bestway’s strongest-performing categories during previous football-led trading periods, underlining the scale of shopper demand around key match-day occasions.
This year’s campaign will feature strong supplier participation across these categories, with headline multi-buy deals on Glacéau Smartwater and Powerade, alongside compelling promotional activity across energy drink brands including Monster and Red Bull.
Licensed offers will also play a key role, with deals from major brands including Peroni from Asahi, helping retailers build highly relevant match-day missions across beer, soft drinks, snacks and confectionery. Featured supplier brands will benefit from prominent positioning within Bestway’s high-impact in-depot theatre, ensuring strong visibility at the point of purchase while helping retailers drive linked purchases and basket spend throughout the tournament.
Kenton Burchell (above left), group trading director at Bestway Wholesale, said: “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. We’re creating an environment that encourages engagement, drives visibility for supplier brands and ultimately helps retailers maximise sales throughout the tournament.”
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