Partner Article

Cork-popping accolade for MetroCentre champagne bar following launch of new customer loyalty scheme

A boutique MetroCentre champagne bar has been named as the fastest growing outlet in the 360 Champagne Bar chain, beating off stiff competition from sister bars in both Manchester and Scotland.

The champagne and cocktail bar was opened in the Upper Platinum Mall in August 2012 following the successful launch of the company’s debut outlet at the Trafford Centre in 2011.

Founder of the 360 Champagne Bar chain, Norris Panton, believes the success of its sole North East outlet is due to a number of strategic decisions he’s made to help his business ride the economic storm.

He said: “It’s been a tough couple of years and we chose probably one of the worst times to launch a new business venture given the state of the economy, but we knew we had a concept that would work and that offered something new for shopping centres across the UK.

“Although people generally have to be a bit more careful with their cash at the moment, everyone still likes the occasional treat and that’s what we offer, somewhere people can stop off, relax and enjoy a glass or two of their favourite fizz or cocktail while indulging in a little retail therapy.

“As any business owner will testify, the problem is not necessarily attracting customers, it’s getting them coming back for more, which is why we introduced a gift card and loyalty scheme to encourage repeat business and help foster customer loyalty.”

Norris sought the help of Cramlington-based retail marketing specialist MBL Solutions, which installed a new Electronic Point of sale (EPOS) system and developed a bespoke gift card and loyalty scheme.

Norris added: “The gift card and loyalty scheme which was developed for us by MBL Solutions really has proven its worth. We needed a solution that would work seamlessly with both our EPOS systems and our website and MBL Solutions delivered a fully integrated approach which we believe has been instrumental in the success of our MetroCentre bar.

“We’ve attracted new customers and sales have risen, making us confident that the initial outlay to put the scheme in place was worth every penny.”

360 Champagne has outlets in the Trafford Centre in Manchester, Braehead in Glasgow, Trinity in Leeds and has just launched a flagship store at Lakeside in Essex.

Oliver Stephens, managing director at MBL Solutions, added: “The economic downturn has forced many businesses to re-examine how they attract and retain customers because it’s no longer enough to rely on reputation alone.

“Our approach for 360 Champagne at the MetroCentre was to look at every element of its retail operation, from the tills and the website right down to customer spending habits and incentives, and make sure that each and every area of our proposed solution integrated seamlessly and delivered quick and visible results.

“The gift card and loyalty scheme we delivered was tailored specifically to meet the objectives set by the bar’s owner and we’re delighted that he has been able to see such encouraging results at such a relatively early stage.”

For more information on 360 Champagne Bar, visit www.360bar.co.uk. Further details on MBL Solutions can be found at www.mblsolutions.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Baxter (Trumpet Communications) .