Trevor Green of Aviva Investors gives his observations on stocks that may be impacted by Euro 2016

With the UEFA European Football Championships just days away, Trevor Green, Head of UK Equities at Aviva Investors and manager of the Aviva Investors UK Opportunities Fund, looks at which UK stocks could be impacted over the course of the tournament.

Says Trevor: “With Real Madrid crowned as European club champions for the eleventh time, there is only just time to draw breath before 10 June, when the UEFA European Football Championship starts. This time, it is bigger than ever before - as to better, we will have to wait and see. Historically, there have been 16 teams in the finals, but this time it is 24 and that leads to 20 more games and a total of 51 matches. With England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland taking part, interest south of Hadrian’s Wall has never been higher.

“One company that has a clear interest in the tournament is ITV, which is sharing broadcasting duties with the BBC and will show two of England’s group stage games and some high profile ties for the other home nations. After a tough start to the year, the football couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for the broadcaster. The increased number of games will enhance advertising revenue and, like the nation, ITV will be keeping its fingers crossed for England to progress well past the group stage. Certain advertisers really like football because there is a clearly defined profile to the audience, leading to some tension to secure prime half-time slots

“With the Championships in France, this is the next best thing to a home championship for English and Welsh fans, with attendance in and around the stadiums expected to be high. This should be good news for Easyjet, which is a clear number two to Air France in the French airline market. It will also be hoping that the threatened air traffic controller strikes don’t happen. Also, watch out for an Air France pilots’ strike, which Easyjet benefited from when it happened in 2014. In addition, with a number of Eastern European teams having qualified, Wizz Air, the FTSE 250 low cost airline, will see increased traffic as fans travel to French cities from their heartlands of Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, who have all qualified.

“Bookmakers will always see any major championship as an opportunity and this will be no different, as they look to sign up new customers and prompt existing ones via enticing and creative bets. The battle for market share between online and shops will be heated. After Leicester City’s triumph in the Premier league, having been quoted at 5,000 to 1, maybe a few punters will be enticed that it is Albania or Iceland’s turn to defy the odds.

“Pub chains, such as national operators like Greene King, will hope for a revenue boost, especially with the increased number of games but much will depend on the home nations’ progress.

“One company that has embraced the tournament is Dixons Carphone, which as the UK’s largest electronics retailer could gain from a sales kicker and see its brand recognition improve. To tie in, it has launched the Ultimate Home of Football (UHoF), which is a touring Winnebago equipped with the latest 4K TV technology. The UHoF will showcase state of the art technology between games in various cities including London, Manchester, Belfast, Dublin and Cardiff, and will have plenty of experts on hand to interface with the public.” 

This information has been prepared by Trevor Green, Head of UK Equities at Aviva Investors Global Services Limited on 06 June 2016 at 10AM. Aviva Investors Global Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

As at 6 June, Aviva Investors holds the following interest in the above mentioned stocks:

ITV – 121 million

Easyjet – 6.7 million

Dixons Carphone – 28 million

As at 6 June, Trevor Green holds a small interest in Dixons Carphone.

Any information about specific securities should not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any securities.

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Except where stated as otherwise, the source of all information is Aviva Investors Global Services Limited (“Aviva Investors”) as at 6 June 2016.

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