Bud Light convenience store takeovers celebrate England’s Local Legends

It’s coming home: Bud Light, officially the official beer of the England Men’s Football team, has taken over three convenience stores in the hometowns of England stars Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker and Jordan Pickford. Bud Light has transformed each store in homage to its footballing local legend, to help retailers tap into the excitement of a summer of international football.

The takeover will include an array of promotional support throughout the store including: an A-Frame of each local footballer, a cardboard cut-out photo opportunity standee, hanging banners of the England stars, Bud Light bunting featuring the Three Lions crest and branded packaging of the footballer in the beer aisle.

The Local Legend stores are:

• Go Local Extra in Bury (BL9 8DW), home of Kieran Tripper
• Go Local United Store in Sheffield (S2 4FA), supporting Kyle Walker
• Shah & Sons Best-One Seaham in Sunderland (SR7 0AE), representing Jordan Pickford

Consumption of beer rockets during TV sports compared to the average at home occasion, presenting a huge opportunity for retailers this summer, and sponsorship brands are a must. More than two thirds (68 per cent) of England fans think retailers should stock official sponsorship brands during football tournaments and 55 per cent would choose a specific beer if they knew it was an official sponsor.

The convenience store takeovers are part of a range of activity from Bud Light to help retailers to appeal to both regular beer-drinkers and new customers alike during the summer of sport. Additional support available to retailers up and down the country includes specially designed England cans with the Three Lions crest, and Bud Light Boxheads – "beer you can drink, box you can wear"; consumers can wear the faces of Jordan Pickford, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker. These new Bud Light Boxheads feature a scan-to-win mechanic, giving shoppers the chance to instantly win prizes including LG 4K TVs, free beer, official merchandise and more, whilst helping retailers boost sales throughout the tournament.

“Sport is a huge beer sales driver for the Off-Trade and the summer’s international fixtures present a huge opportunity for independents to build on the momentum of last year,” says Jessica Markowski, Convenience Sales Director at Budweiser Brewing Group. “The convenience channel is hugely important for us as a business, and we are always looking for new and innovative ways to help our customers boost sales. We’re thrilled to be working closely with these three stores as we prepare for international football to return once again to our screens.”

Talking about his store’s new look, Bury retailer Samsom Kahsay said: “It’s so exciting for local talent Kieran Trippier to be representing England in such an important tournament and such a proud moment for Bury.” Sheffield store owner, Jag Singh added: “The store’s 'faceover’ is our way of showing Kyle Walker and the other England players our support. As a massive football fan, it's great to get shoppers excited about the tournament, and the prospect of Kyle and the team bringing it home this summer!” Saima Arif, owner of the Sunderland store honouring Jordan Pickford, concluded: “We are all so proud of Jordan representing England and being such a talented keeper. We hope the transformation will help get the local community excited too!”