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 during one of the most commercially significant global sporting events of the year.
Building on the strong performance of Bestwayâs 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.
Running across 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 Bestwayâs national scale and coordinated execution to deliver consistent impact across the network.
Timed to align with key match moments across the tournament calendar, the activation has been developed to help retailers capture the significant uplift traditionally seen in food and drink sales during major football competitions and convert these moments into higher spend per visit through targeted promotions and multibuy mechanics.â
The FIFA World Cup is widely recognised as one of the most powerful trading moments for the convenience channel, with previous tournaments generating over ÂŁ1 billion in UK food and drink sales.
Bestwayâs 2026 campaign has been specifically designed to ensure independent retailers are well positioned to capture this demand through structured promotional support, strong supplier participation and clear, commercially-led in-depot activation.
At the heart of the campaign is the âBestway Stadiumâ concept, with depots transformed into full-scale football environmentsâŚ, creating a dynamic retail theatre designed to drive visibility and sales at the âcentre pitchâ.
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.
These high-impact visual displays will showcase leading brands and promotional mechanics across key food and drink categories associated with tournament viewing occasions, helping retailers quickly identify strong promotional opportunities and maximise sales during peak demand periods.
Soft drinks, crisps & snacks, confectionery and licensed products were among Bestwayâs strongest-performing categories during previous football-led trading periods, underlining the scale of shopper demand around key match-day occasions. This yearâs campaign will feature strong supplier participation across these core categories, with headline multi-buy deals on GlacĂŠau Smartwater and Powerade, alongside compelling promotional activity across leading 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 Bestwayâs 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.
By recreating the atmosphere and anticipation of live football within depot environments, the activation aims to drive stronger engagement with featured ranges, elevate brand visibility and encourage retailers to push key categories that perform strongly during major sporting events.
Kenton Burchell, Group Trading Director at Bestway Wholesale, said: âMajor 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. By combining captivating in-depot theatre with strong promotional mechanics and coordinated digital communications, we are creating an environment that encourages engagement, drives visibility for supplier brands and ultimately helps retailers maximise sales throughout the tournament.
"Building on the strong results we delivered during EURO 2024, where participating brands saw an average uplift of 44%, this yearâs campaign will once again provide retailers with the tools, pricing and promotional support they need to make the most of one of the biggest trading moments of the year.â
Bestway Wholesale continues to lead the market in delivering commercially large-scale nationwide seasonal activations that combine strong supplier collaboration and impactful retail theatre, reinforcing its commitment to helping independent retailers capitalise on key trading events throughout the year.