Following last year’s announcement of the new sponsorship deal with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), Foster’s has brought even more buzz to one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK. There is massive demand for darts across the On-Trade, with the World Darts Championship 2024 being the most-watched final on Sky outside of football¹.
With interest in the sport growing significantly and consumers looking to watch matches in venue, as well as try the sport themselves, darts provides operators with an opportunity – often untapped – to engage with the local community, drive further footfall, and increase sales.
Foster’s has created the Nine Steps to Pub Success, playing off the perfect 9-darter score, to support operators in leveraging the upcoming World Darts Championship this December:
1. Show The Darts: Searches for pubs screening darts have surged by 261% in the last three years² – showing the growing demand from fans looking to watch the action live in-venue. Broadcast key tournaments like the World Darts Championship to stand out and drive footfall.
2. Turn Deals into Doubles: Introduce drinks deals especially for the occasion, and use timings to your advantage. For example, running special offers post-match can help to keep the atmosphere thriving, boosting sales and dwell time. 48% of darts viewers say that price is the number one factor influencing their choice of drink while out watching live sport, in comparison to just 38% of average GB consumers³, showing that reducing cost to the consumer is key for this particular audience.
3. Make Your Venue a Local Bullseye: Host in-house darts competitions to attract groups and build community loyalty. Having a darts board in-venue encourages locals to play casually, driving visits and differentiating your venue.
Sophie Ma, Business Development Manager at the Clay Pipe in Leighton Buzzard, says “Darts as an offer at the pub has opened up both sporting and social competitive occasions to an extensive range of customers. We host all of the local darts teams weekly, which on quieter trading evenings (Monday and Wednesday) has habitually transformed our rhythm of the week. With children as young as ten playing for fun and adults of all ages playing socially and competitively, both the pub and the sport have been made hugely accessible to all. We are renowned for the quality and consistency of our darts offer, and it’s a great occasion for participants and spectators alike!”
4. Get the Word Out: Promote your darts nights across social, in-venue and local networks. Good visibility ensures you’re front of mind for both regulars and new faces ahead of big matchdays.
5. Back the Local Leagues: Team up with local darts leagues to offer a home for their matches and socials. Supporting grassroots darts builds long-term relationships with those groups, and footfall.
6. Prioritise PoS: Use eye-catching PoS to bring the occasion to life in your venue – including dartboards, glassware and drip mats. Following its bold new rebrand, Foster’s is providing venues with eye-catching, ready-to-go kits ahead of the PDC, available via eazle®.
7. Work with Suppliers: Heineken’s eazle® campaigns platform provides operators with an exciting ‘opt-in’ calendar of On-Trade brand activations, also allowing you to track the performance of each campaign in your outlet.
8. Feed the Fans: Having a strong food offering can help entice customers to remain in venue for longer matches and tournaments, with late night menus appealing to the post-darts crowd.
9. Get Draught Right: Have a good draught offering and ensure its poured perfectly. Classic Lager is the largest Beer category, responsible for one in three pints of Lager sold across the On-Trade⁴ and delivering 34% more in volume sales to an outlet than Premium Lager brands⁵. With Foster’s as a sponsor of the PDC, having good visibility of Foster’s on draught will drive association and credibility as a venue for watching the sport.
Insights from CGA find that darts viewers visit pubs and bars more frequently than the average consumer, with 63.1% of darts fans drinking out weekly in the On-Trade, in comparison to 35.5% of British consumers on average⁶. By following the Nine Steps to Pub Success, operators can draw in this additional audience in the lead up to Christmas and into the new year, driving rate of sale and increasing footfall.
Darts fans are also more like to travel in packs – with 43% of viewers watching the sport with larger groups of friends (5 or more)⁷. Larger groups contribute to a lively and energetic environment and are crucial to building a reliable customer base around live sport. This is especially important, given that ‘atmosphere’ was named the number one factor for choosing a venue to watch live sport (53%)⁸. Having greater numbers through the door also increases the likelihood of guests sharing their experiences via social media and reviews, helping with organic promotion and visibility for venues.
“The darts is becoming increasingly important in the annual sporting calendar, with higher levels of consumer engagement and an opportunity for operators to tap into an additional growing audience” says Serena Smith, Head of Category – On-Trade at HEINEKEN UK. “Partnering with local darts groups and bringing in the community will help to position your venue as a hub for darts in the area. We know that darts viewers are more likely to drink out weekly in comparison to the average GB consumer⁹, providing operators with an opportunity to significantly drive rate of sale and increase footfall.”
Across the On-Trade, operators are investing in making their venues a destination for the darts. For example, Star Pubs is creating nine flagship darts pubs as part of a £120,000 investment to capitalise on the sport’s growing popularity. As part of this, 500 Foster’s-sponsored darts zones will be installed, each featuring two darts flights, a darts board, score cards, posters and strut cards. Additionally, Star Pubs is offering a Flight School branded darts package to its pubs to enable licensees to encourage casual players, including instructions on how to play games like 501, Killer and Around the World. Digital versions will also be available for customers to scan – creating a well-rounded experience.
Cathy Olver, Retail Director at Star Pubs, says: “Many licensees tell us darts is crucial to their business, especially on traditionally quieter midweek evenings. It increases dwell time, boosts sales and encourages repeat visits, as well as building atmosphere and energy in pubs. As Luke Littler continues to ignite interest in the game, the demographic of players is broadening, and more people of all ages are wanting to give it a go and learn how to play. Our darts scheme will bring the sport alive and provide a low-cost way for all our pubs to give their customers a competitive socialising experience.”
This year, Foster’s introduced a new bonza rebrand, celebrating its Aussie heritage with a recognisable but reenergised visual identity. With a mighty share of Classic Lager in the On-Trade, and a major darts sponsorship with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), the revived branding reaffirms Foster’s position as a distinctive and confident choice, tapping into a growing consumer preference for familiar, timeless favourites.
Zach Jordan, Senior Brand Manager – Foster’s at HEINEKEN UK, comments: “In the lead up to the World Darts Championship this December, we are continuing to support operators in maximising the opportunity of the sport. The Nine Steps to Pub Success framework has been developed with this in mind.
“By bringing in their communities and building local relationships, as well as strengthening their offering with discounts and marketing, operators can attract new customers and boost overall sales performance with the darts this year – and Foster’s is positioned to be the perfect partner. Our brand is all about unforgettable moments and bringing people together so our partnership with the PDC is a match made in heaven!”
To find out more, visit https://www.eazle.co.uk/huk/en/
1 Sky sports news 05/01/2024
2 FANZO Sports Report 2024
3 CGA OPUS June 2025
4 CGA OPMS GB Volume Share L12 Weeks to P07 12.07.2025
5 CGA OPMS GB Volume RoS L12 Weeks to P07 12.07.2025
6 CGA Brandtrack April 2025
7 CGA OPUS June 2025
8 CGA OPUS June 2025
9 CGA Brandtrack April 2025
