Our unofficial guide to the World Cup
Last night's draw against Sweden proved to be a victory for retailers. The 8pm kick-off meant that shopper numbers were only down by 0.2 per cent compared with last year, according to retail data company FootFall. This compares with a 22 per cent drop when England played its first match against Paraguay on June 10.

Coming top of group B will mean that England's second round fixture will be played on Sunday June 25 at 4pm and any quarter-final game will fall on Saturday July 1. FootFall spokeswoman Natasha Burton said: 'Retailers will have to capitalise on consumer goodwill in the build-up to each game, in order to compensate for the effect that two consecutive weekend games is likely to have on footfall levels.'

The UK's grocers are going all-out to boost sales on the back of the World Cup. Both Asda and Morrisons are running their own World Cup web sites to try and maximise football-related sales. Asda-lovethegame.co.uk features a fantasy football competition and links to World Cup merchandis, while Morrisonsfootball.co.uk includes competitions, recipes and BBQ tips, as well as information about the tournament.

Fashion group Ted Baker also wants to cash in on football fever with a limited edition set of retro collectors' cards featuring alternative World Cup stars. The cast of characters include England's Duncan Disordly, Brazil's Showboatinho, Des Perette of France and Donatello Nobodi of Italy.

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