Two months ahead of the King’s Coronation research carried out on behalf of Star Pubs & Bars has revealed that pubs are the place to be that weekend, whether pubgoers are interested in the Coronation or not.
75% of pubgoers interested in the Coronation are open to celebrating it in the on-trade and 71% of those not intending to watch the Coronation are open to visiting a pub over the weekend.?
With three bank holidays and the King’s Coronation taking place in May, Star Pubs & Bars is launching £60,000 worth of free Coronation Day marketing materials to help licensees create atmosphere, drive footfall and boost sales. It is also offering 60% off personalised bank holiday point-of sale through its POS ordering platform with the first 100 pubs to order receiving free bunting.
The personalised Bank Holiday packs feature bunting and a choice of Bank Holiday poster and tent card designs that can be reused for different bank holidays.
The free Coronation Kits, worth £50 each, will include everything a pub needs to decorate for the occasion including, amongst other supportive material to really create an atmosphere in the pub, a Grenadier Guard standee cut out for customers to take a selfie photo alongside.
There will also be top tips on maximising the weekend including recommendations on the best products & perfect serves.
Said Cathy Olver, Star Pubs & Bars Retail Marketing Director, “Sunday was the best trading day of last year’s early May bank holiday weekend– accounting for over 50% of the weekend uplift. However, with the Coronation taking place on the Saturday our research has revealed that Saturday day and evening will be the key trading times this year followed by Friday evening.
'Trade will be further boosted by the extension of opening hours to 1am over the weekend. In addition, almost a quarter (23%) of pubgoers are anticipating visiting the pub more than once during the weekend.
“The research shows food deals are the most important factor in choosing where to visit, the influence of family and friends and proximity to home are also important. Drinks wise, beer and wine will be the most popular choices over the weekend followed by cocktails and cider.
“The Coronation is the biggest community event of the year. With people now planning pub outings in advance rather than making last minute decisions on where to go, promoting bank holiday and Coronation plans early using eye catching point-of-sale will be key to attracting customers over this bumper month. We’ve made bank holiday materials extra robust so that they can be used on more than one occasion, saving licensees money.”
Pete Marshall, landlord of The King’s Arms, Bexleyheath, added, “We will be celebrating the Coronation with the nation locally and having a lot of fun along the way. Over the four-day weekend, there will be plenty of music and barbecues with different activities for families and adults and a sprinkling of national pride.”