Punch Whisky Club announces positive feedback from survey results, with 96 per cent of participating Partners believing that the scheme was worthwhile.
The Whisky Club, where 154 Punch Partners registered to receive two malt whiskies every three weeks from October to January, saw a 40 per cent increase in partners signing up compared to the previous year.
Registered partners received a point of sale kit to help promote their ‘Malts of the Month’, including a back bar display and ‘whisky menu’. In addition, they also received additional branded point of sale for specific brands, such as glassware.
A survey conducted by the pub company found a growing market for whisky and feedback suggested that the customers looked forward to trying the next new whisky, with Yamazki being noted as the most popular whisky brand amongst customers.
Punch Taverns’ Robin Chapman, Marketing Manager said: “We introduced the Whisky Club last year and received really positive feedback from Partners who found that it helped them sell more malt whiskies and give their pub a more ‘prestige’ image, whilst enabling staff to sell a range of whisky with good knowledge.
“The scheme means we can offer access to whiskies not always available on our range, enabling our Partners to offer a more varied selection of quality whiskies, and the support materials to maximise sales on what is traditionally an additional purchase.”
One Punch licensee who found the scheme particularly worthwhile was Lee Murphy who has been running the George and Dragon in Abergele since May 2013: “I previously stocked one or two whiskeys and since I joined the club I’ve been able to stock different varieties which have been really popular with my customers as they like to try something new.
“I’ve been building up my range, increasing to six whiskeys, and have created a whisky feature along the back bar – it is the first thing that catches your eye when you walk into the pub. It is so popular amongst my customers that one bottle sold within 45 minutes and I’ve developed quite a reputation in the local area.
“It was a really good initiative from Punch, I found a market I never knew I had and I’ll definitely be signing up again.”
Punch Taverns also runs a Wine Club, which was launched in October to offer Punch Partners a new wine every month at a competitive price with a POS kit to maximise sales.
“We are really pleased with the feedback we have received this year and it highlights the popularity of our clubs and the growing trend in the whisky market. In response to this, we look to introduce a ‘featured malt’ from spring through to September and open the Whisky Club again in October,” Robin added.