DEMAND for colour televisions is expected to give a £113 million boost to sales for electrical retailers in the run-up to the football World Cup finals, new research indicates.

Football fans are expected to buy about 230,000 colour TV sets in May in time for the tournament, which kicks off on June 9. The findings, which were presented by the market research company Gfk, come as retailers contend with difficult trading conditions on the high street.

Last month Kesa Electricals, the retailer that owns the Comet and Darty chains, reported a 16 per cent slide in profits. At the time the company indicated that recent trading had picked up slightly, with an upturn in sales of flatscreen televisions, in preparation for the World Cup.

Gfk said yesterday that it expect “a major revolution” in TV, including the increasing popularity of flat screen televisions and interest in digital TV, to help to boost sales.

John Binks, Gfk’s commercial director, said: “2006 has been very tough for many electrical retailers, but they can be reassured that World Cup 2006 will provide a substantial chunk of additional business.”

Mr Binks added that this would be the first time that a World Cup would be delivered in high-definition (HD) broadcasts, which provide a clearer picture. Demand for the technology, which has been hailed as the future of broadcasting, has brought a big increase in sales of HD-compatible sets. More than half (51 per cent) of plasma televisions sold in February were HD-ready, compared with 12 per cent in the same period last year.

Mr Binks cited evidence from previous sporting events for the expected increase in sales of televisions. He said that in the month before the 2002 World Cup, sales by unit were up 19 per cent, while the

2004 European championship football tournament brought a 34 per cent increase in sales.

Overall, the World Cup is expected to lead to a double-digit rise in television sales in the first half, although this is likely to slow if England fail to reach its latter stages.

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