Huge brewer is introducing Friday beers discount and free pint loyalty scheme at more than 120 pubs
A MAJOR pub group is rolling out Friday evening drinks discounts and a free pint loyalty scheme in a fresh bid to win back customers.
Butcombe, which runs more than 120 pubs across the UK including in the South West, is offering a 20 per cent discount on all drinks bought on Friday evenings – traditionally the busiest time of the week for locals.
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The group is also giving away a free pint to customers for every five pints of Butcombe beer they purchase, as part of an upgraded loyalty programme aimed at boosting pub visits.
Jonathan Lawson, chief executive of Butcombe, told the Financial Times that getting customers to return more frequently had become 'kind of the holy grail' for the industry.
He said the biggest worry for pub operators right now is the drop in how often customers are visiting.
With rising living costs, more people are choosing to drink at home, or cut down altogether.
The Friday night drinks deal and beer club perks are Butcombe's answer to that trend.
The loyalty scheme appears to be working – Butcombe said sales from loyalty card users made up 22 per cent of its total business in the first three months of this year.
And Butcombe isn't alone.
Greene King, which owns more than 2,700 pubs across the UK, is preparing to launch its first-ever app-based loyalty scheme.
According to insiders, customers could soon earn discounts on everything from pints to pub grub and even overnight stays.
The pub chain, which also runs the Chef & Brewer and Hungry Horse brands, recently made headlines by giving away 100,000 free pints during April.
Customers just had to walk up to the bar and say, 'It's raining, can I have a free pint?'
Other chains are following suit. Mitchells & Butlers – behind the likes of All Bar One and Harvester – is trialling a points system, while Fuller's is testing out rewards like two-for-one meals and free glasses of wine at 30 of its pubs.
Industry experts say these kinds of offers are now becoming the norm.
Saxon Moseley, hospitality lead at consulting firm RSM, said: 'Loyalty schemes are quickly becoming table stakes.
"Pubs that don't offer one risk missing out.'
It's all part of a wider effort to modernise how pubs attract and keep customers.
Stonegate, the UK's biggest pub group with over 4,500 sites, spent £2 million developing its own loyalty app, which even includes a game where users can 'spin to win' a free pint.
Chief executive David McDowall said loyalty schemes were now the industry's 'most important marketing tool'.
He added: 'Pubs have been a little behind the rest of the hospitality industry. We are playing catch-up.'
Meanwhile, more traditional players like Wetherspoons are staying out of the loyalty game – for now.
Known for already offering some of the lowest prices on the high street, the chain says it has no plans to launch a points or rewards system.
But with younger drinkers becoming more health-conscious and older customers tightening their wallets, loyalty offers could be what keeps some punters heading to the pub.
NHS guidelines on drinking alcohol
According to the NHS, regularly drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week risks damaging your health.
To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level if you drink most weeks:
men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis
spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week
if you want to cut down, try to have several drink-free days each week
If you're pregnant or think you could become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum.
You read more on the NHS website.
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