Trio agrees deal to upgrade 161 fan-friendly pubs

10-Jun-2019 - Last updated on 10-Jun-2019 at 12:34 GMT

Winning team: attracting sports fans is important for community pubs says Ei’s Nick Light

Ei Publican Partnerships, Molson Coors and Sky Sports have agreed a partnership that will see them deliver bespoke sports experiences across Ei’s estate of leased and tenanted pubs.

Under the agreement, Ei Publican Partnerships will activate the Molson Coors Sky Sports deal with tailored packages at each of its 161 leased and tenanted pubs.

This will include in-venue tech upgrades, viewer-friendly improvements to pub layouts plus experiential tweaks such as lighting and bar layouts designed to reduce queuing time.

The announcement follows news revealed by The Morning Advertiser in March that a revamped partnership between Sky and the producer of Pravha, Staropramen, Blue Moon, Carling and Doom Bar will introduce a new 15% Sky subscription discount to licensees at a lower entry point of two Molson Coors brands and three kegs a week, plus three further discounts based on the number of brands.

The first venue to benefit from Ei Publican Partnerships, Molson Coors and Sky Sports’ deal, the Edgbaston Sports Bar in Birmingham, reopened on 7 June with a dedicated viewing area with a large HD projector screen, eight new televisions – five indoors and three in the pub’s beer garden – as well as an innovative, fast-dispense point to reduce waiting times.

Soaking up atmosphere

“We have a growing portfolio of sports-orientated pubs that offer customers a great place to soak up the atmosphere and to watch the action unfold,” Ei Publican Partnerships managing director Nick Light explained.

“Our partnership with Molson Coors is set to take this experience to the next level, and the Edgbaston Sports Bar is a fantastic example of the difference that new technology and innovative layouts will make for our customers.

“Attracting local sports fans is hugely important for many community pubs.

“Through our joint initiative with Molson Coors, we’re investing in these pubs to make sure the sports experience keeps local customers coming back for more.”

Best possible experience

Commenting on the initiative, Martyn Cozens, on-trade sales director at Molson Coors, added: “We recently launched our new Sky Sports deal to make it bigger and better than ever before and this partnership with Ei Publican Partnerships is a fantastic way to really bring it to life.

“The activity builds on our Carling Match Day Squad platform, applying the same principle that we want every sports fan to have the best possible experience when they go to watch a sports occasion at their local pub.”