Make the Right Choice

Maximise your profits with the right range of soft drinks to suit your pub

People are changing - what they like to eat and drink and where they go to enjoy themselves. This makes maximising profit a moving target for publicans, so Britvic Soft Drinks, the leading UK soft drinks manufacturer for pubs, has developed Right Choice, a business partnership between Britvic and its customers. Right Choice is committed to carrying out research and sharing knowledge and insight in order to help publicans run their businesses more efficiently and profitably.

Take the money​

This is the first in a series of articles looking at the difference soft drinks can make to pub profitability around food occasions. Getting the range of soft drinks right to suit your customers is first priority, and Britvic has developed a range of tactics covering practical aspects such as price, promotion, range and display that can easily be carried out in the pub and will make you more money.

Pub food and drink​

Soft drinks sales are on the increase and cannot be ignored as a profit centre, especially when it comes to food. People are eating out more - 30 per cent more in the last five years and on many different types of occasion. Soft drinks are consumed with food 79 per cent of the time and an even bigger 84 per cent of people visiting a pub to eat, consider buying a soft drink.

Soft drinks need not be a substitute for alcohol and therefore won't dent your alcohol profits. People, especially diners, often don't want alcohol and pubs need to persuade these customers to visit, perhaps with their families, stay longer and spend more.The core pub-dining audience is 18 to 44-year-old men and women and families with children and your range should focus on their favourite types of soft drinks - cola, lemonade and fruit drinks.The challenge

Pub diners spend on average 59 per cent more on their pub visit but 36 per cent less on drinks than any other pub-goer. People eating in the pub tend to take longer over their drinks and are distracted from ordering and drinking more. The challenge is to get these customers to increase their drink spend. You will also make more money if customers buy larger and more premium drinks. Bigger drinks equals better value for money so pub-goers normally like the longer serves. Britvic has developed a number of ideas to encourage diners to order more soft drinks. Over the next few weeks we will be looking at some tactics to help you grab the food and drink opportunity and also talk to some pubs that have successfully developed their food and drink offering.

Range and choice​

The Britvic portfolio is the broadest in the business, including top selling brands Pepsi, R White's and Britvic juices and mixers. Premium adult soft drinks include Britvic 55, Amé, Red Devil and J20 - the fastest growing soft drink in the on-trade. Special kids' drinks include the huge hit Fruit Shoot from Robinsons and brand new taste sensation, Freekee Soda. Data sources: Office for National Statistics, Alcovision May 02 and ACNielsen MAT Nov 02.

For more information on the Right Choice programme for publicans, call Britvic customer services on 0845 755 0345​