Pub sells £25,000 worth of gift cards during lockdown

The managers at the Devonshire Arms in Middle Handley, Derbyshire, have successfully encouraged customers to purchase £10, £20 and £50 cards, which can be used to buy food and drink from the pub once its doors reopen.

The pub – which is located nine miles south of Sheffield city centre and houses the Stag restaurant on-site – had previously sold paper gift vouchers via Groupon, but has seen sales soar since father and daughter owners John Tompkins and Alex Tunney, and manager Hugh Wragg, made the decision to bring its offers and sales in-house via gift card platform Toggle. 

“The priority was to ensure there was a pub to return to for staff, friends and valued customers,” Wragg explained.

“The response has been fantastic, with £25,000 of sales so far, showing just how much our customers value the pub and its place in the community.

“Promoting the gift cards through our social media, and our 3,000-strong database, has also given us a reason to keep in touch with our regulars and keep the Devonshire Arms ‘family’ together."

As reported by The Morning Advertiser ​(MA​),​ the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) and Crowdfounder joined forces in March to promote the innovative ways pubs and breweries can stay afloat.

The coalition’s #PullingTogether campaign set out to raise awareness of how on-trade businesses are launching online shops, offering beer or cider takeaways or offering gift vouchers​ for the future in a bid to keep businesses afloat. 

What’s more, the Devonshire Arms join the likes of the Lion in Treorchy​, Wales, in harnessing voucher technology to keep their business afloat with the Lion’s operator, Adrian Emmett, spearheading the launch of app ITownNow, which allows high street businesses to open their digital doors during shutdown via a voucher system that allows locals to make bookings with local services for when lockdown ends.