Football: England's Euros run spurred strong shirt sales, says Sports Direct

England's Euros journey might have ended in heartbreak but the Three Lions' run to the final spurred a boom in sales of replica football shirts, a leading British sporting goods retailer said on Monday (Jul 12).

Sales of England and other national kits at retailer Sports Direct quadrupled compared to during the 2018 World Cup, the last major tournament to feature England, the company said.

"We've seen an uplift in anything related to the England team," a spokeswoman for Sports Direct parent group Frasers said via email.

The company did not provide specifics on how much it made in sales. The England kit is supplied by US sportswear company Nike.

Harry Kane's men went down on penalties to Italy in Sunday's final, scuppering England's chances to land their first title since the 1966 World Cup triumph. The event drew in Britain's biggest TV audience since the funeral of Princess Diana in 1997.

Recent popular search terms on Sports Direct's website include "retro England football shirts" and "England football top", the spokeswoman said.

English midfielder Jack Grealish's was the best selling shirt this year followed by Kane.

Sports Direct also saw "huge demand" for fan products like its £15 (US$21) supporters' kit that includes flags, balloons and bunting.