Throughout September and October, the UK will be taken over by rugby fans from across the globe as the Rugby World Cup comes to England. For Scottish retailers, the potential wins come from huge TV audiences and the food and drink that they’ll be looking for.
by Mia Hunt
The 2015 Rugby World Cup is the biggest sporting event to take place on British soil since the London Olympics and with up to 12 million Brits expected to be engaged in the tournament, it’s on track to be the most viewed to date, captivating both new and existing audiences.
According to the Convenience Barometer from him!, one third of people are planning to watch the Rugby World Cup – which takes place between 18th September and 31st October – and 92% will watch it at home, so while all games are south of the border, Scottish retailers will be able to cash in on the huge TV audiences.
Fourteen per cent plan to buy food and drink to have whilst watching the games at convenience stores, and 72% will watch it in groups so stocking rugby-themed promotions and multi-buy offers is likely to have a positive impact on sales.
Forty-one per cent say they will be eating and drinking more than usual during the games with beer expected to be the most popular category, consumed by 47% of rugby fans, while crisps comes a close second at 40%. Soft drinks, hot drinks and cider are expected to do well, bought by upwards of 20% of those who’ll be watching the tournament respectively, while nuts, pizza, chocolate and wine are also likely to be popular.
Sixty-four per cent said they would be influenced by price, 54% by promotions and special offers and 12% by rugby-themed giveaways and so retailers should contact suppliers like AG Barr – the official soft drinks supplier to Scottish Rugby – and Maxxium – which sponsors Scottish Rugby Union via its Famous Grouse brand – to help drive competitions and promotions. In-store giveaways are a sure-fire way to generate interest. Why not invest in a few bottles of whisky or a couple of rugby shirts and do a sweep in possible scores in Scotland games?
Driving sales
By catering for rugby fans who will be watching the tournament at home with the prominent display of associated drinks and snacks and piquing customers’ interest both in the run up to and during the tournament with in-store theatre, competitions and promotions, retailers will be well set to drive up sales.
“The Rugby World Cup is important for every store in the convenience sector,” says Dennis Williams of Broadway Convenience Store. “Nowadays when people watch sporting events on their TVs, they might get a group of friends around to watch it with them, especially for the big matches and so it’s a huge opportunity if done properly and in partnership with your suppliers. And it isn’t just about alcohol but about snacks, particularly crisps, soft drinks and other categories too – it’s the whole package. Events like this are a fantastic opportunity that should be grabbed with both hands.”
Dennis is focussing on in-store theatre and will set up rugby themed displays featuring bunting, balloons and point of sale materials, as well as taking advantage of prize draws and promotions and providing tastings, which are always popular with his customers. He will also be using Facebook and Twitter to communicate with customers with daily posts in the run up to and throughout the tournament as well as door-dropping 3,000 dedicated leaflets. And he’ll be working closely with brands and suppliers to make the most of their expertise.
Helping hand
Both Heineken – as an official sponsor of the Rugby World Cup – and Lucozade – as a supporter of the Scotland, Wales, England and Ireland rugby teams – have unveiled plans to help retailers maximise the opportunity.
Heineken’s activity includes promotions, limited edition packaging and experiential and it has produced dedicated hints and tips to help retailers make the most of their premium beer offering to drive incremental sales during the tournament. To drive visibility and awareness, promotions will be communicated through channel-specific point of sale, ensuring that examples of gifts that can be redeemed are placed in close proximity to chillers and fixtures to encourage purchase.
“In terms of merchandising, we’ll work closely with Heineken as one of the main sponsors,” says Dennis. “The suppliers have the expertise so it’s crucial to work together as a joint venture. They’ll come in with a plan and we’ll fine-tune it together based on what we expect to do well and what promotions and giveaways there are.”
Meanwhile, Lucozade Sport’s on-pack promotion will offer the chance for official England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales rugby shirts to be won every 80 minutes, offering shoppers a strong incentive for purchase, and rugby themed POS tailored by nation will be available to create a big impact in-store.
According to Vicky Morgan, Marketing Manager for Lucozade Sport, one third of retailers have said they will be creating themed rugby displays in their store. “With rugby expected to be truly in the spotlight this autumn, it presents a huge opportunity for retailers to attract new shoppers to the category,” she says. “We know that retailers that get behind international sporting events with themed displays in-store experience significant growth and outperformance.”
Retailers who have used Lucozade Sport point of sale around major sporting events in the past have experienced as much as +26% value growth in sports drinks sales over the given period, she highlights, and as much as a +36.9% uplift in Lucozade Sport specifically, attracting new shoppers to the brand, with a quarter going on to repeat purchase.
“The summer of football last year had a significant impact on the sales of sports drinks, with penetration up 26.6% and Lucozade Sport attracting 54% incremental shoppers to the sector,” explains Morgan. “To replicate the success this year, we’ll be working collaboratively with our retail partners to help them develop in-store theatre with our rugby themed POS and on-pack promotion.”
When setting up themed-displays, using trademarked imagery without permission is an easy trap to fall into and the Trademark Team at Wynne-Jones IP is keen to warn retailers of the risks ahead of the World Cup. Unless there is an agreement in place with the organisations to use their branding in promotions, a retailer’s plan to increase income could end up a costly mistake, so retailers are advised to bear this in mind before creating their displays.