The pubco has invested in excess of £60,000 into 1,400 promotional kits ahead of the rugby tournament, including staff training and a digital game to help licensees enhance the customer experience.
Star said the investment followed “unprecedented demand” for its Six Nations 2024 Championship rugby materials, adding the kits could help boost trade for venues by as much as £1,300.
The kits will include large inflatable rugby balls, Championship and fixtures posters, fixtures flip chart, bunting and stickers and will be backed up with guides to creating a great environment for customers.
In addition, the guides will contain key facts on the Six Nations plus an explanation of rugby union rules to help licensees to upskill their teams so that they can engage more with fans.
Raising awareness
A fun interactive digital rugby game will also provide an element of competitive socialising.
Participating pubs will have the option to run a leaderboard with a weekly top performer, or to offer groups of friends the chance to run challenges between themselves. Social media assets will be provided to raise awareness of the games.
To capitalise on the increased number of sports enthusiasts in their pubs for the Six Nations, licensees will also be offered multi-sport point-of-sale assets to further build their reputation for screening live sports.
Star Pubs retail director Cathy Olver, Star Pubs Retail Director: “Star Pubs retail kits and social media support helped our pubs to outperform the market in 2024.
Real difference
“Our research shows that point of sale and marketing made a real difference to the bottom line, with those pubs using it benefitting by as much as £1,300.
“With competition for consumer spend focussed on key events, creating the right environment and atmosphere for live sports is a priority. In the end, it’s people who create that all-important buzz and establish a pub as the go-to destination for sports.
“To this end, we’re widening our support to incorporate training and competitive socialising that will make the tournament more fun for customers and staff as well as encourage return visits.”
The Six Nations kicks off on Friday 31 January, when France will play against Wales at the Stade de France in Paris, and will run until mid-March.
This comes as recent data from FANZO revealed rugby union was the third most popular televised sport to watch in pubs.
