World Cup goodies

SUPERMARKETS and clothing retailers are set to make more than £100million this week from a World Cup spending frenzy.

Unofficial England merchandise, including strips, mugs, teddies, furnishings and food is expected to be snapped up by fans as England's opening game against Sweden on Sunday draws nearer.

Sales over the next five days alone are expected to match the predicted £100 million sales of official FIFA 2002 merchandise over the entire tournament.

A spokeswoman for Safeway said: "We have renamed our swedes Sven-Goran Eriksson and may package our cabbages with football-patterned wrappers."

Retail sales reached a £17billion two-year high last month and the football bonanza is expected to continue the trend.

Grocery giants expect this weekend to be as busy as the Millennium, with millions stocking up on food for Golden Jubilee and World Cup parties. Supermarkets are launching promotions on beer, snack food and even sushi breakfast kits. On the shelves are pitchshaped pizzas, sponge cakes with World Cup icing and footballing gingerbread men.

Tesco is calling its strategy for next week Operation Owen. "How we deal with it is based on how we coped with the Millennium," said a spokesman. "We are getting vast amounts of stock in as we know there will be much celebrating this weekend."

Waitrose is predicting sales up 15 per cent during the week, rising to as much as 20 per cent for the Jubilee weekend, over and above usual Bank Holiday expectations.

A spokesman for the British Retail Consortium said: "The tournament will give a multi-million pound boost to the clothing and supermarket sector.

"People thinking of buying a plain T-shirt may buy one emblazoned with a football-related logo or team name instead."

In homeware and furnishings departments, shoppers can find England duvets and pillowcases, giant inflatable football chairs and St George's Cross gazebos. Fashion stores have joined the rush to cash in, with Union flag T-shirts and towels at Top Shop, and St George's cross socks from New Look.

Clothes shops are even catering for football widows, with a range of T-shirts bearing slogans deriding the "beautiful game". A French Connection T-shirt sports the words: "fcuk football, what about me?"