- Pub company and brewer, Greene King, has partnered with footballing legend Peter Crouch to announce its biggest ever free pint giveaway
- The giveaway will be triggered as soon as the first drop of rain falls in Manchester from 25th March – the rainiest city declared by Brits
- Watch the live stream of the UK’s tallest pint glass shaped Rain Drop Detector that will reveal when the biggest free round of drinks will kick off
Brits across the nation can grab a free pint at their local Greene King pub as soon as the first drop of rain falls in Manchester from 25th March.
As a weather-obsessed nation, research by Greene King to mark the first day of spring revealed that despite over eight in ten Brits (81%) believing rain is quintessentially British, almost three quarters (74%) claim that it puts them off going out and socialising. Those least likely to go out are Gen Z, with 85% citing they’re less likely to go out if it’s wet.
To encourage the nation to step outdoors and into the showers and to mark March 2023 being the wettest March on record for 40 years, this year, leading pub company and brewer Greene King is celebrating the rain with its biggest ever free beer giveaway.
According to research, Manchester has been crowned the UK’s wettest city, with over 1 in 5 of the nation claiming it’s the place that rains the most in the entire country.
So, to launch Greene King’s free pint offer, a nine-foot-tall pint glass shaped rain drop detector will be situated at Great Northern Warehouse in Manchester city centre from Monday 25th March.
Once Manchester experiences it first drop of rain onto the pint glass, the detector will light up and the free pints deal will be activated in Greene King pubs up and down the country, so Brits can head to their local participating pub to shield from the rain and quench their thirst. Keen viewers can watch the action unfold via a livestream of the Rain Drop Detector from the 25th March: https://www.greeneking.co.uk/we-pour
With the nation’s go to topics of conversation over a tipple being sport (56%) and the weather (49%) to chat about down the pub, Greene King has enlisted Former England footballer and avid pub lover, Peter Crouch to launch its free pint offer.
He said: “Having experienced playing football at the highest level for England, I know how much the nation loves their sport and hates the weather, so it’s no surprise to see that’s what people chat about at the pub most.
“I’ve also had my fair share of playing in wet conditions and seen first-hand how it can impact sport, and with my height, when it rains, I feel it before most people do.
“There’s no better place to go on a rainy day than a cosy pub to enjoy a well-earned drink, I’ll be on tenterhooks looking out for the rain on Monday, with 100,000 free pints up for grabs, there’s only one place I’ll be heading when the rain drops start to fall.”
Despite the Great British weather being stereotypically wet and miserable, over four in ten (44%) Brits admit they still don’t like the rain and over three quarters of the UK (75%) reveal weather as the most typically ‘British’ topic of conversation.
Clair Preston-Beer, Managing Director for Greene King Pubs, said: “Since March 2023 was the wettest March on record, we decided to mark the beginning of spring by offering the nation 100,000 free pints in our Greene King pubs nationwide to celebrate rather than commiserate the first drops of rain, because let’s face it, it won’t be the last of the wet weather!
“With over four in 10 (41%) saying a free pint would cheer them up on a rainy day, it was a no-brainer for us to announce our biggest ever pint giveaway, as we all love a freebie, but the stats show not all of us love the wet weather!
“At Greene King, we are proud of being the nation’s go-to place to eat, drink, and relax with your family, friends, and colleagues, we have something for everyone, so while we can’t control the weather we can make up for it with a free pint at one of our pubs up and down the country – meaning a Good Time is (Almost) Guaranteed. We can’t wait to welcome customers into our pubs to claim a free drink on us, so keep an eye on the sky and our rain drop detector!”
Find your local participating Greene King pub here: https://www.greeneking.co.uk/we-pour
-ENDS-
For more information, or any other media inquiries please contact GKpubs@wearebrazenpr.com
Notes to editors
Research based on a OnePoll survey of 2,000 UK adults
About
For more information, or any other media enquiries please contact greeneking@wearebrazenpr.com
Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.
At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 39,000 people across the group with four divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands, Partnership and Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.
- Greene King pubs are located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country
- Destination Brands is a portfolio of food and drink-led brands including Hungry Horse, Farmhouse Inns, Chef & Brewer, Flaming Grill and Wacky Warehouse
- Partnerships & Ventures includes Pub Partners, which runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs, and our Ventures Brands which is made up of Metropolitan Pub Company, Hickory’s, Hotels Group and Crafted Pubs
- Brewing & Brands covers the brewing side of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.
Terms & Conditions
If it rains, we pour:
- From 00:00 on 25th March 2024 – 23:59 on 27th March 2024, if it rains at Great Northern, 235 Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EN and our rain detector lights up (the “Trigger Point”), customers can claim one free pint of Flint Eye Lager – Level Head Session IPA – Ice Breaker Pale Ale – Hazy Day IPA – Greene King IPA – Greene King IPA Bitter – Abbot – Ruddles Best – Morland Original Bitter – Olde Trip – H&H Bitter – Greene King House Bitter – Greene King Yardbird – London Glory – Scrum Down – Deuchars IPA – Spring Break – Hopping Special – East Coast IPA – Old Speckled Hen – Old Golden Hen – H&H Dark Mild – Wolfpack Lager – Wolfpack Pilsner – Wolfpack Sesh IPA – Belhaven Best Sankey – Belhaven Black – Belhaven Saltire Lager – Belhaven 80, or alternatively a regular glass of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke or Schweppes Lemonade. Products may vary depending on each pub’s draught lines and subject to availability, please see a list of participating pubs below.
- Promotion available in Greene King managed pubs only, following brands are excluded from this promotion: Chef & Brewer Collection – Farmhouse Inns – Hungry Horse – Seared – Metropolitan Pub Company.
- To get the free drink, customer will need to say the key word “It rains, we pour” when ordering.
- Free drinks will be available for (i) 24 hours from the Trigger Point, if triggered between the hours of 08:00 and 20:00; or (ii) during the following day’s trading hours, if triggered post 20:00hrs. E.g. if the promotion is triggered at 2pm on a Monday it will be live for 24 hours until 2pm on Tuesday; if it is triggered at 2am on a Wednesday, it will be live for the entirety of Wednesday’s trading hours.
- One free drink per customer only, across all locations. Customers will receive a GK stamp on their hands once the free pint has been given.
- Offer cannot be combined with any other offer, daily deal, promotion or discount including Greene King team member and friends & family discounts.
- UK residents, aged 18+. No cash alternative.
- Greene King reserves the right to withdraw or amend the offer at any time. Manager’s discretion is final.
- We remind anyone participating in promotion to drink responsibly. Please visit www.greeneking.co.uk/enjoy-responsibly for the facts.
- Subject to English law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
- Promoter: Greene King Brewing and Retailing Ltd, Sunrise House, Ninth Avenue, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 3JZ.
For more information, or any other media inquiries please contact GKpubs@wearebrazenpr.com
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