Orchid Pub Company reports 4.7% sales uplift on Grandparent’s Day: Orchid Pub Company has reported that sales rose by 4.7% on Grandparent’s Day (6 October) after the company put a concerted effort into marketing the day. Orchid commercial and people director Simon Dodd said: “We were confident that Grandparent’s Day would be a big hit for Orchid so we put a huge amount of preparation into making it a true occasion on a par with Mother’s or Father’s Day.” Whilst still relatively unknown in the UK, Grandparent’s Day is firmly established in the national calendar of our US counterparts. Orchid pulled out all the stops with special menus, offers and awareness and it paid off with sales up by £35,000 (a 4.7% increase) on the day compared to last year. The top-performing pub was the Moby Dick in Romford with £11,000 of sales during the day (+11.9% on last year). General manager Tina Donno said: “Most of our customers hadn’t heard about Grandparent’s Day before but when we told them about it they loved the idea and turned out in large numbers to celebrate. It also gave us a chance to publicise Christmas. Our staff members dressed up in festive outfits and we took six extra party bookings from Grandparent’s Day customers.” The Bell in Maidenhead, one of Orchid’s Pizza Kitchen Bars, saw best like-for-like growth across the Orchid estate with an increase of +185.2%. General Manager Carol Baker said: “Sundays are usually quiet for the Bell so we jumped on the opportunity working hard to publicise Grandparent’s Day across our social media channels and by word-of mouth. By the time 6 October came around everyone was fully aware of the day and its significance.” She added: “We had parties of ten or more people booked in and there was a fantastic atmosphere – it was really lovely to see several generations all celebrating together. Our team went that extra mile to make it really special for customers, treating it just like Mother’s or Father’s Day.” Orchid’s best performing segment on Sunday was Dragons up by 27%. Dodd added: “They say ‘preparation is the key to success’ and that was very much the case for Grandparent’s Day. We sent digital campaigns out to our 450,000 loyalty card holders and offered triple points to our Slice, Our Family and Diamond Club customers amongst other awareness activities.”