Co-op Food have angered publicans with an advert urging customers to watch Euro 2024 from home rather than going to the pub.
The advert tells customers to opt for the supermarket’ pizza and beer deal and stay at home because it’s hard to see the TV screen at the pub.
The Campaign for Pubs group has sent a letter to Co-op Food chief executive Shirine Khoury-Haq, demanding that the advert be pulled and an apology to the hospitality industry.
It read: “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,” they wrote.
“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?”