How pubs can make the most of a summer of sport, celebration and freedom

Over the past few weeks, publicans have started welcoming punters back to beer gardens, and customers have braved the cold, rain, and even snow to reunite with loved ones over a perfectly poured pint. With May 17^th​ just around the corner, indoor re-opening promises not only to provide much-needed respite from the Great British weather, but also a summer of opportunity for the nation’s pubs.

Budweiser Brewing Group’s On Trade Sales Director JD Thumelaire provides his top tips for the On-Trade to make the most of this summer of sport, celebration and freedom.

Premiumisation​

Premium beer was the clear winner in the On Trade last re-opening, with world lager, premium lager and premium 4% the top three performers. The demand for premium brands among post-Covid pub-goers is set to remain high, 60% of consumers plan to treat themselves when they go out to eat and drink again.^[1]​​

Stella Artois is not only the number one best-selling Draught Premium Lager in the UK, but also the nation’s number one most desirable beer brand^[2]​​ – so a must-stock for pubs looking to maximise the premium opportunity this summer.

Meal occasions​

It’s not only drinks where consumers are looking to treat themselves. Getting the “drinks with food” occasion right is a simple way the On-Trade can maximise beer category performance post-lockdown.^[3]​​

Given 93% consumers see a meal deal as a positive influencer in choosing a venue,^[4]​​ we’ve launched our Stella Artois The Life Artois​ meal occasions campaign to help pubs tap into key mealtime moments. A suite of social media assets and point of sale will be on offer for pubs to showcase meal deals around occasions such as the late May and August Bank Holidays, and Father’s Day.

Summer of sport​

The long-awaited return of international sport to our screens presents a huge opportunity for pubs to drive footfall and revenue this summer. During the 2018 World Cup over one in every three drinks sold in the On Trade was a beer^[5]​​​ with sports fans driving on average a 39% increase in incremental spend.^[6]​​

The Budweiser family, Officially the Official Beers of England, have an array of exciting activity planned to help pubs make the most of the nation’s desire to back their team. This includes a scan to win mechanic where consumers can win a range of prizes including merchandise, beer and LG TVs. We’ll also be providing Euro 2021 point of sale including pint carriers, cups, coasters etc, as well as limited-edition glassware and tap badges for Bud Light and Budweiser which include the England crest.

Pubs can benefit from our partnership with BT Sport, offering new customers to BT 50% off their annual subscription. Venues already with BT Sport can also secure discounts on their annual subscription with our ‘existing BT customer offer’.

Outdoor​

Even after indoor re-opening pubs with a garden are set to be clear winners this summer, and the centre of socialising as lockdown restrictions lift. Last year, outlets with outside space drove volume recovery +4.5% versus the average.^[7]​​

We’re offering our customers a range of outdoor support to cater for increased consumer demand. We’ve created Stella Artois outdoor packages which include a mobile bar, takeaway cups, parasols and a-boards, as well as supporting tools across all our key brands.

Cashback on Your kegs          ​

To help our customers make the most of our best loved brands, we’ve introduced a market leading investment incentive for on trade premises. Cashback on Your Kegs unlocks up to £15k in cashback for pubs adding a Budweiser Brewing Group draught brand to their bar.

We’ve proud to announce this initiative to unlock money for pubs at a time when many are in need of financial support. And, with our winning portfolio offering market leading brands for every consumer, pubs will be able to unlock cash in the till too.

Available until 30^th​ June, please chat to your account manager for more information!

Pubs can find out more about the support available to them for a safe and successful re-opening, and sign up for our Stella Tips​ campaign, at savepublife.com​.

^[7]​​ Oxford Partnership Market Watch January 2021