Heated row erupts over Co-op's Euro football TV advert

A row is heating up over a recent Co-op's TV advert that urges people to watch the Euro 2024 football tournament at home rather than going to the pub. A publican group has counter-attacked on social media, asking people to not "sit at home with a boring can of beer" and rather watch Saturday's match in a pub.

Co-op is being called on to pull a TV advert that tell people not to watch Euro 2024 in pubs, urging people to enjoy the games at home.

In a series of TV and radio adverts the retailer says, “it’s hard to see the screen in the pub, staying with two pizza and for beers” with a promotion centred on offers around the 2024 football tournament.

Campaign for Pubs group, that has also written a letter to Co-op Food’s chief executive Shirine Khoury-Haq, today (4) posted what seems like a counter-attack on the retailer. The group is calling on to remove the “utterly crass and divisive” advert and apologise to publicans.

In a letter to Co-op Food’s chief executive, Shirine Khoury-Haq, the Campaign for Pubs group said people in the hospitality sector were “deeply angry” about the advert that came at a "challenging time for pubs and publicans"

The letter states, “You and your management team must surely be aware of what a challenging time it is for pubs and publicans, yet here you are, a supposedly ethical business, openly and deliberately undermining pubs and publicans’ livelihoods at this difficult time,”

At the time when businesses in England should be uniting in support of the national football team, the Co-op has instead cynically and shamelessly sought to attack another important business sector to try to boost your own profits from the tournament. It really goes against everything that the Co-op movement stands for.”

“Who on Earth thought this was an acceptable thing to do? Who signed this off? It shows appalling judgement on the part of your marketing team and agencies as well as a worrying lack of moral responsibility and ethical leadership," states the letter.

Recognising that "Co-op convenience stores are the only shop available to communities", the group is demanding apology from the retailer for "this utterly crass and divisive advert"

"We also ask that you commit not to run any such adverts, telling people not to go to the pub in future or undermining pubs.”