In a move that recognises that customers today require fast and efficient wifi access at all times, London brewer and pub retailer, Fuller, Smith & Turner has signed with O2 to provide free wifi to consumers in its managed and tenanted pubs.
The deal replaces an in-house system previously only available to its managed pubs, and installation has already begun. By the turn of the year, consumers in the vast majority of the company’s 385 pubs in the South of England will be able to enjoy O2’s super-fast mobile broadband service on their laptops, tablets or mobile phones.
Enabling its tenants and lessees to be included in the deal was a key factor in the decision to choose O2, says Tenanted Operations Director, Mike Clist:
“The internet has changed the way pubs communicate with their consumers, but has also changed the way those consumers use the pub. Wifi, and free wifi in particular, has become another service that pubs are increasingly expected to offer, but for many tenants it was seen as just another cost that was difficult to justify.
“We believe that our tenants receive the best support package in the industry, with dedicated and experienced business development managers to offer advice and guidance. The new Service Agreement that we have recently introduced is another initiative of ours to help ease the regulatory burden on tenants, by bundling up services and freeing up their time to concentrate on running the pub.”
Gavin Franks, MD of O2 Wifi added:
“Pubs are the social hubs of communities and this partnership will enable people to connect to the internet and each other, in pubs across the UK. To date, people have gathered around the pub’s communal screen to be entertained and informed. More and more, that role is being filled by the screen in our hand or on our table.
“We are proud to add the name of Fuller’s to the other premium announcements this year including Costa Coffee, McDonalds and Debenhams. This means that we will be deploying thousands of new hotspots in 2012.”