Late night snacking by soccer fans lifts sector

The ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar is being accompanied in China by booming consumption of snacks and beverages, as well as hotel stays, which industry experts said will warm up the winter catering and online consumption sectors during their typical off season.

Data from online delivery platform Meituan showed that on the opening day of the World Cup on Sunday, orders for beer, beverages, snacks and fruit soared 31 percent on average from the month before, and registered a 27 percent increase year-on-year.

Among them, takeaway orders for beer saw the biggest growth of 43 percent month-on-month, and those for sunflower seeds, a popular type of Chinese snack, jumped 69 percent compared with the previous month, Meituan said.