Paul Hill finds out how SBF GB&I and Holland Bazaar are working together on a World Cup brand activation
Brand activations have always performed well in wholesale, and with the World Cup now in full swing, SBF GB&I recently took the opportunity to run a promotion in Holland Bazaar’s Peterborough depot around this uniquely-timed tournament.
“It’s great to be here in Peterborough to work with the Holland Bazaar team and discuss our new Lucozade Sport promotion,” said Joe Kinsey, national account manager at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I (SBF GB&I). “It’s being activated around this year’s World Cup and will help wholesalers drive soft drinks sales this winter. It will also help to capture attention and drive sales for wholesalers, especially for such a big, month-long event such as the World Cup.”
The brand activation is seeing Lucozade Sport bring shoppers the chance to win cash prizes this winter through a text-to-win promotion, as part of its ongoing partnership with the England national football team. “This giveaway will help wholesaler customers to create excitement around the international tournament in their stores and tap into additional sales around the winter sporting occasion, with SBF GB&I giving football fans the chance to win £90 every 90 minutes,” added Chris Dunster, regional account manager at SBF GB&I.
“Lucozade Sport drinks are already performing really well here at Holland Bazaar, and the added bonus of a World Cup promotion will only increase sales further,” explained Andrew Kirby, commercial director at Holland Bazaar. “It’s also great to introduce something like this into the depot to create a buzz around the place.”
Kinsey then explained how 2022 has already been a fantastic year for sport, and as the 
UK’s number-one-selling sports drink(1), Lucozade Sport wanted to bring something special to depots to help them make the most of the unique opportunity to combine sport and winter festivities this year. “A recent takeover such as this in one wholesale depot saw sales uplift of more than 180% of Lucozade drinks compared to the previous week, so we know it really works for wholesalers,” he said.
Dunster was also on hand to provide further data which shows the strength of in-depot activations: “Promoting partnerships such as this in cash and carries is key, with bespoke front-of-depot display being proven to lead to sales uplifts of 5%, while a depot fixture relay can increase sales by a massive 91%.”
“It’s been great having SBF GB&I here in Peterborough to talk about the Lucozade Sport World Cup promotion. Meetings like this are great for not only us, but our retailers and their customers,” concluded Kirby, with Kinsey agreeing it’s always good to travel around and visit wholesale customers. “Days like this not only enables us to understand their needs better, but it also enables us to help them and their retailers become more successful in the soft drinks category.”
To be in with a chance of winning, shoppers need to purchase any Lucozade Sport product and text ‘CASH’ to 62123. The campaign will be supported by PR and marketing across wholesale.
Andrew Kirby, Commercial director, Holland Bazaar: “We’re always more than happy to welcome the SBF GB&I team to Peterborough. These days are great for us to learn from them about the latest activations and the soft drinks category, which we’re then able to pass onto our retailers to help boost their sales, too.”
Joe Kinsey, National account manager, Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I: “The 
Lucozade Sport portfolio is growing by an incredible 32%(2), so by tapping into relevant moments like the World Cup, wholesalers and retailers can see real results. In-depot activation such as this adds theatre to retailers’ journeys.”
(1)Nielsen GB Total Coverage Latest 52 Weeks – w/e 26.02.22, (2) Nielsen, Lucozade Sport, GB Total Coverage including discounters, latest 52 weeks to 01.10.22, (3) EPoS data from SalesOut, SBF GB&I Activation Uplift report, 2021
