Rugby’s a profitable conversion

The firm behind Guinness is encouraging operators to make the most of this year’s 6 Nations tournament, which kicks off this Saturday (February 4).


More than 6000 point of sale kits are being distributed by Diageo to rugby outlets across the UK in a bid to help licensees make the most of the rugby tournament involving Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, France and Italy.
Designed to grab consumers’ attention “from the entrance of the pub right through to the point of sale”, this year’s kits include Guinness-branded bunting, posters, flags and fixtures lists as well as help with social media.
Emma Rochford, senior commercial planning manager at Diageo, said the new 6 Nations kits are designed to build on the success of last year’s, which she said delivered a 47% uplift in the volume of Guinness sold in outlets where the kits were available.
“Tapping into these [6 Nations] fixtures presents a golden opportunity for licensees, and our Guinness activation kits provide the means to do just that,” she said.
“The stout consumer is very important to licensees, particularly during the rugby season. Stout drinkers spend more on average per visit than all other beer categories and are more loyal to the on-trade than lager drinkers, so with Guinness representing 96% of the total stout category it’s important licensees stock up on either a 50L keg or 30L keg to unlock significant profit potential.”