Poppy Beer, Ei Group's beer in partnership with The Royal British Legion, has proved a winner with customers with nearly half a million pints bought across pubs in its estate over the past four years.
The 3.6% ABV beer, brewed at Marston's Brewery, Burton-on-Trent, was available exclusively to publicans across the Ei Publican Partnerships estate in advance of Remembrance Day on 11 November, as well as being on the bar in Craft Union and Bermondsey pubs, part of Ei Managed Operations, and also some select Ei Managed Investments pubs.
Over the past four years, sales of Poppy Beer across the Ei Group estate have raised almost £80k for The Royal British Legion, who provide lifelong support to service and ex-service men and women of the UK Armed Forces and their families.
This year, Ei Group donated 20p from every pint sold. In total, more than 1,000 pubs stocked the beer and, through sales of the brew, raised the sum of almost £23k for the charity.
Further support this year was provided with point of sale kits to help publicans raise awareness and drive sales, including a refreshed patriotic design for the pump clip.
Paul Harbottle, Group Commercial Director at Ei Group, said, 'We're delighted to have raised such a fantastic amount through sales of Poppy Beer. By selling the charitable beer, our publicans and their customers know they are directly supporting a wonderful organisation that makes such a difference to the Armed Forces community. A big thank you to all those involved.
'We're coming to the end of our partnership with the Royal British Legion and are thrilled with the amount raised over the past four years - we wish them all the best for the future.'
Claire Rowcliffe, Director of Fundraising at The Royal British Legion, added, 'We are hugely thankful for Ei Group's fundraising for us over the past four years. Through their popular Poppy Beer they have raised £80,000 in donations, as well as contributing a further £9,000 in staff fundraising. Their network of publicans has made this possible, and we hope they will continue to support the Legion locally with the same enthusiasm.
'This has been their most successful year of fundraising to date, and we are pleased to see that our partnership is coming to an end on a high. On top of this, they have gotten involved in our Thank You Centenary movement, helping to remember all those who served, sacrificed and changed our world forever.'