With the Commonwealth Games finished, retailers are at the end of a packed summer of sport which also included the World Cup and three legs of the Tour de France in England. 

2014 has been a bumper year for sport partnerships.

So how will they fare next summer, with fewer big events? Alastair Lockhart, director of insight at Savvy Marketing, says it will be the responsibility of retailers to excite shoppers.

“Much like last year, 2015 has very few major sporting events, with the Rugby World Cup the only large event of note outside of the regular annual fixtures such as the FA Cup final or Wimbledon,” he says.

“It’s during these quieter years that brands tend to concentrate more on their own agendas, meaning the onus will be on retailers to set the creative theme and put in place strong trading events to deliver a clear and consistent shopper campaign across the summer.”

With discounters scaling up their operations – and resultant market share – the big four grocers in particular need to drive shopper engagement through events to excite and inspire.

“We expect this will be a key differentiator and success factor for 2015,” says Lockhart.

Executing regional and local marketing strategies that worked well this year – for example those in Yorkshire and Glasgow – can also be adapted for other types of non-sporting events.

“They were very successful in driving targeted sales opportunities and engaging local communities, and there’s success factors and key learnings that can be applied to next year’s calendar and strategy,” says Lockhart.