JD Sports said the Euro 2016 football tournament has given it a sales boost after England’s win against Wales lifted hopes of the home nations staying in the tournament.

Peter Cowgill, the executive chairman of the group that also owns the Blacks, Millets and Size? chains, said: “We are well positioned to deliver an excellent first half-year result.”

He said he was encouraged by “continued positive trading across our core fascias” and a strong start to the year, adding: “We have, in recent weeks, seen a further boost to sales from the Uefa Euro 2016 tournament.”

With all the home nations, bar Scotland, taking part in the European football competition, economists see greater potential for a pickup of retail sales at UK stores.

The longer England, Wales and Northern Ireland stay in the game the bigger the benefit, they said.

With Nike’s replica England shirts costing more than £50, JD Sports and rival Sports Direct are expected to be among the big winners from a successful tournament for the three lions.

The boost comes as JD Sports is already enjoying a bumper year, partly due to demand for fashionable sports-inspired clothing.

Profits jumped 45% in the year to January as sales at the group’s sports fashion stores rose by 11.6%.

Sales of womenswear have been growing even faster as major brands seek to cash in on the catwalk-led trend for “athleisure” clothing. Nike and Adidas are expanding their clothing ranges to include the kind of sportswear worn increasingly outside the gym, while JD Sports is one of a handful of retailers to sell Beyoncé’s athleisure line, Ivy Park, which launched in April.