From small independent pubs to popular high street restaurant brands and global hotel chains, a wide variety of hospitality businesses have felt the pinch of coronavirus.

As lockdown restrictions are being lifted, the question looms as to how bars, cafes and restaurants are expected to make a profit while adhering to social distancing rules, with some expecting measures to limit revenue potential for businesses due to the drop-in footfall.

With the future looking uncertain for hospitality businesses, independent drinks and alcohol producers need to find new ways to continue to adapt. CitySprint can help with services to get your bottles, cans and kegs to locations across the UK from Aberdeen to the Medway in Kent to help your business survive and thrive with our dray delivery service.

By re-considering your approach to who you sell to, your drinks company can succeed in a coronavirus-restricted world. Here are three key customers you can still sell to whilst lockdown restrictions limits sales to the hospitality industry;

Direct to consumers

The impact of coronavirus has encouraged drinks companies to re-consider how they get their products to consumers. In today’s digital driven business landscape, setting up an e-commerce platform on your website is one of the most common solutions. Working with freelance marketing professionals or an agency is a great way to promote your brand online and generate online sales. This solution can improve your cash flow by selling your products direct to consumers and perhaps delivering a higher margin, as you’re cutting out any middle-men.

Signature Brew offer up a great illustration of this, having created a Pub In A Box for consumers that ‘can’t head to the pub right now, delivering boxes to beer lovers in just 1-2 days. Partnering with a nationwide logistics provider for local or national deliveries could be the solution to getting your product to consumers, offering them the choice of same day or next day delivery.

Independent retailers

Independent retailers and specialist suppliers should be taken into account by drinks companies – see Clapton Craft or Borough Wines as examples. They sell specialist drinks products to a small market, who are looking for a unique experience.

For best results, carry out research on where competitors are positioned and try to get a feel for your market. Independent shops will have similar restrictions in place to pubs and restaurants and will likely be having a shortfall in the number of customers they can serve in-store – but with a higher demand of customers looking for a hospitality experience at home. You’d expect these retailers to be capitalising on this and expanding their product ranges. If you’re pitching to a store, get in touch with one of our logistics experts for advice on how we can help with your supply chain network. 

E-commerce retailers

E-commerce retailers should be high on the agenda for independent drinks companies looking to boost sales. Online wholesalers such as Beer52, Borough Box and Honest Grape source from hundreds of producers to offer food and drinks fans a convenient choice of products accompanied by a choice of  delivery options.

Choosing the right e-commerce retailers should involve researching these types of companies to find which ones align closely with your brand. It is also worth noting that online retailers could use centralised locations to store stock. CitySprint can support you to keep your product flowing to these locations to meet demand.

How we can help

As one of the UK’s leading drinks logistics suppliers, we can help your business adapt to the ‘new normal’ and get your product to the hospitality sector. Plus - if you’re looking to expand your customer base, we can adapt our services to fit your needs. To find out more about our tailored solutions, get in touch today.

Discover more helpful resources for small breweries by searching the hashtag #Here4IndieBeer, created as part of a recently launched social media campaign by The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA).

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