New National Lottery operator, Allwyn, has announced that it will be increasing the size of its retail sales team by 50 per cent in the first months of the new National Lottery licence.
Signalling its commitment to the retail channel, Allwyn is recruiting 55 new sales reps over the coming months – as well as a number of new managers – with the increase in personnel set to significantly enhance the level of support provided to National Lottery retailers.
To mark the start of Allwyn becoming the new National Lottery operator, brand-new Lotto advertising launches across the UK on 1 February. Helping to boost retail sales by driving players into stores, the eye-catching “always on” Lotto campaign will feature a refreshed brand look and some quirky OOH advertising.
After months of fantastic co-operation from store owners during the transition to the new operator, the company has been busy preparing National Lottery retailers for day one of its 10-year licence with final key pieces of information and deliveries.
A “Welcome to Allwyn” pack, containing a new Players’ Guide and a Retailer Organiser Folder with updated content in line with the new National Lottery licence, will start landing in stores from 26 January. Retailers can also expect a delivery from 1 February of a new National Lottery playstation Good Causes POS disk to highlight the £4 million-plus that National Lottery players help to raise every single day for National Lottery Good Causes.
And, as a result of the changeover – including necessary updates to core gaming systems and terminals – Allwyn is in the process of informing retailers that in-store terminals are expected to be operational from 8.30am on 1 February. National Lottery retailers should leave their terminals on overnight on 31 January to ensure they are able to download all necessary software upgrades overnight, and get back up and running as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, the new £5 Black Pearl Scratchcard is already available in retail, and sales of the £2 million jackpot game will be given a huge boost when its mega new campaign featuring special in-store POS launches on 4 March. And more in-store activity will be heading retailers’ way ahead of the celebratory £15 million Lotto ‘Must Be Won’ draw on Saturday 2 March, with POS for the draw landing from 19 February. Retailers should site this immediately to drive those extra sales and see as much as a 53 per cent* sales uplift from the draw.
National Lottery retailers should also be aware that DPD will replace Parcelforce as the chosen courier for Scratchcard and consumable deliveries and collections – all of which will be delivered from a new eco-friendly warehouse in Warrington. The new warehouse – which will help Allwyn on its journey to deliver a net zero National Lottery – will also feature a dedicated Scratchcard fulfilment team that, from March, will be proactively contacting retailers to make sure they have everything they need to sell National Lottery Scratchcards effectively.
Alex Green
“Retailers are absolutely central to our vision to grow The National Lottery responsibly over the next 10 years – and expanding our sales team in the next few months to considerably boost our support for them is just the start of what we have planned,” said Allwyn’s Director of Channel Operations, Alex Green.
“While the focus for day one of the new 10-year licence has always been prioritising ‘business as usual’ – with players and retailers seeing very little change to start with – we have huge investment planned for retail technology, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to ensuring the channel remains healthy, relevant and buoyant. The new licence heralds an exhilarating new chapter for The National Lottery and the massive good it does for people and communities across the whole of the UK – and I’m really looking forward to working with all of our retailers as we embark on this exciting journey together.”
*Based on Lotto special event sales 1 July 2023 vs base sales 24 June 2023.
