The Co-op Group says it will renew its music festival sponsorship across several Live Nation UK festivals for a further five years, following eight years running pop-up convenience stores at music events..
Originally signed in 2018, the extension will see the Group remain as the official supermarket sponsor of Download, Latitude Festival, Reading & Leeds Festivals and Creamfields festivals until 2031.
The stores are on average 6,000 sqft and stock over 300 products from everyday essential groceries – covering breakfast, lunch and snacking occasions – to festival staples such as toilet paper, personal care ranges and alcohol.
Nuala Donnelly, head of partnerships and events at the Group, said: “Our pop-up stores have rewritten the rules when it comes to accessing grocery essentials at festivals and changed consumer behaviour in terms of stocking-up on food and drink pre-event, helping festivalgoers to lighten their loads as they travel from home to the festival campsite.”
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The festival store offering from Co-op has evolved since 2018, with the launch of Co-op membership benefits such as lower prices in the stores for members, extending the product ranges to meet more varied festival shopping missions – including healthy options – and the introduction of numerous sustainability trials, such as reverse vending machines used in stores in 2019 to aid recycling efforts.
Additionally, the Group says it has utilised its festival partnerships to recruit new members aged 25 and under. Recent data from the convenience retailer has shown that 70% of all new Co-op member sign-ups during the festival season – with additional supporting recruitment activations before, during and after the events – are under the age of 25.
“Importantly, for Co-op, our partnership with Live Nation UK has enabled us to engage with a new younger audience and we’ve now become part of their festival experience year after year,” said Donnelly. “It’s a unique opportunity to recruit new members but also help shoppers to reappraise the quality of our own-brand food and showcase how we can successfully serve the varied needs of communities, even those that are in fields, with ease.”
Clair Cooper Matthews from Live Nation UK Marketing Partnerships, said: “Our partnership has always been built around one simple idea: making festival life easier for our fans. Over the years, Co-op has become a trusted part of the festival experience. From convenient access to on-site essentials to exclusive member benefits that extend the Co-op Membership experience across our festivals, they’ve consistently focused on the little things that can make a big difference to fans.
“By tapping into the opportunities live music offers to reward existing members while reaching new audiences, Co-op has shown how live experiences can help build lasting relationships with customers that extend well beyond the festival weekend. We’re delighted to be continuing our partnership for another five years and excited to see where we take it next.”
