Store presentation

The cheque for £900 for a local youth football team was presented at the Greenock Keystore.

With the FIFA World Cup still fresh in many fans’ minds, JW Filshill has continued with its own summer of football campaign, and is working with suppliers to support KeyStore retailers as they strengthen relationships with their customers and local communities through the KeyStore Community Fund.

In a collaboration with PepsiCo, itself a World Cup sponsor, retailer Bikram Kaur, who owns KeyStore Burns Square in Greenock, presented £900 for the purchase of new team kits to Greenock Juniors Football Club, a local team whose players shop regularly in the store and are well known in the community.

Bikram, who welcomed Steve Keegan of Greenock Juniors FC to his store to present the cheque, said: “It makes a great difference, being relatively new in the area, to be able to give back to the community. It helps us build relationships in our neighbourhood, so we’re delighted to be supported by PepsiCo and the KeyStore Community Fund to top up our donation to support the club.”

Keegan added: “It can be difficult in this area to get backing from local businesses, but when we approached KeyStore, their willingness to invest in the team shows how much they care about the local community.

“Bikram has been a great help, and the team will continue to be loyal customers of KeyStore Burns Square.”

Further support

PepsiCo also supported KeyStore Pittodrie in Aberdeen, a store located close to the Aberdeen World Cup fan zone, to transform the exterior with a store signage wrap during this summer’s event.

Meanwhile, KeyStore also collaborated with suppliers on store takeovers featuring official event sponsors and a new initiative, launched on B2B order platforms via JW Filshill, to reward and “maximise opportunities for customers throughout the tournament,” it said.

The fifth-generation, Renfrewshire-based wholesaler teamed up with AB InBev to wrap its fleet and leverage OOH branding and raise awareness of both the KeyStore and Budweiser brands while also creating Budweiser beer caves at KeyStore outlets in Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire, and Ayrshire.

The B2B initiative saw suppliers including Budweiser, Coca-Cola, C&C, Heineken UK, and Mars Wrigley give KeyStore retailers the chance to win account credit prizes of up to £1,000 throughout the tournament.

For the suppliers, benefits included increased exposure and engagement with retailers during this key trading period, while retailers benefited from the opportunity to stock up.

Great summer

Katie Dempster, group marketing manager at JW Filshill, said: “We’ve had a great summer of football, and KeyStore retailers have grasped the opportunity to collaborate with our suppliers to raise awareness of both the KeyStore and Filshill brands.

“Vikram’s tie-up with Greenock Juniors FC is a prime example of how the KeyStore Community Fund can help our customers get involved with grassroots and local football teams, building relationships and supporting people who shop in their stores every week.

“Our summer of football activity has also reaffirmed our commitment to leveraging partnerships to provide promotions, pricing and range support to drive our retailers’ store performance, tapping into our ‘five reasons to join KeyStore’ campaign: delivery, social media support, KeyStore Community Fund, proven core range and real business support.”