Fuller’s selects O2 Wifi service for its pub estate

London brewer and pub retailer, Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C., is delighted to announce that it has signed a deal 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 managed pubs.

Installation has already begun and 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, “We are really excited to be rolling out our wifi across the entire Fuller’s estate. 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. Our wifi connectivity is fast and reliable so people will be able to use their small screen to get the information they want. 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.”

Mike Clist continued, “We are committed to helping our tenants run successful businesses, so we are delighted to that they will now have another tool with which to encourage people to visit their pub, and to stay a while too.”

ENDS

For further information contact Fuller’s Press Office:

Ref No: TMJ/FI/0559

 
Tony Johnson
Public Relations Officer

Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. Griffin Brewery, Chiswick Lane South, London, W4 2QB
Telephone 020 8996 2000 Direct 020 8996 2048 Mobile 07824 815366 www.fullers.co.uk