Nectar's fifth retail partner revealed
First Quench has been revealed as the fifth major name to join the UK's coalition loyalty programme, Nectar. Starting in spring 2003, points will be offered at First Quench's 2000 specialist drinks outlets across the UK, including the Thresher, Wine Rack and Haddows brands.
The announcement that First Quench is to join Barclaycard, BP, Debenhams and Sainsbury's as the first new retail partner since the programme's launch comes after a £20 million investment in shop refurbishments and refitting, IT systems, staff training, and product development for the Thresher brand.
Kevin Styles, sales and marketing director for First Quench, explained, "We are looking forward to being part of Nectar, and are confident that Nectar members will value the addition of a dedicated drinks retailer."
High-street presence First Quench claims that, across its various brands, it has at least one outlet within one mile of 22 million homes in the UK. Launched in September 2002, Nectar still aims to recruit 50% of the UK's households (around 12 million) in its first year. Keith Mills, chairman of Loyalty Management UK, commented, "We are well on our way to meeting our first-year target of signing up half of the UK's households."
"We are now entering the next phase of Nectar's development, and the agreement with First Quench doubles our high street presence overnight," said Richard Campbell, marketing director for Loyalty Management UK (LMUK), which operates the programme on behalf the five retail sponsors.
Brands added The First Quench brands, including Thresher Wine Shop, Wine Rack, Bottoms Up, Haddows, Victoria Wine, and Drinks Cabin, are all to be added to the Nectar programme. The company claims to be the UK's 23rd largest retailer (and Europe's 80th largest), serving more than 150 million customers each year.
For more information about Nectar's launch and subsequent events, see The Wise Marketer's feature article, 'Nectar... full details of the UK coalition loyalty programme'.
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