Lion is proud to announce the launch of Cheers to Your Local, a compelling initiative set to champion and support the New Zealand food and beverage industry as part of Lion’s ongoing commitment to local hospitality businesses.
Latest figures from Statistics New Zealand show spending on food and beverage services including cafes, restaurants and bars has dropped a shattering 95 percent compared with April 2019, down $814 million in just one month.
With statistics like this revealing the devastating hit the industry has suffered as a result of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, Lion is rolling up its sleeves and ready to help in an effort to get Kiwis through doors as local hospitality businesses begin to reopen under Alert Level 2.
Cheers to Your Local is a social media campaign aimed at creating a much-needed sense of community, encouraging Kiwis to get out once more and show support by frequenting their best-loved local venues.
“Our customers and the wider New Zealand hospitality industry are at the heart of what we do and we are proud to be playing a role in getting them up and running again post lockdown,” said Guy Blaikie, National Sales Director at Lion.
“We want to see the bar and restaurant scene recover as quickly as possible and uniting with businesses and Kiwi consumers is the first step in this process.”
Lion has also created a social media toolkit for customers and the wider industry to download and share on their own social sites, enabling them to market their business and gain further awareness through the campaign.
The Cheers to Your Local social media channels will profile NZ’s hospitality legends and unsung heroes by giving them a platform to share their passions, business insights and industry stories with the country.
The campaign will call upon Kiwi consumers to share Cheers to Your Local content across social media by inviting their friends and families to join them back in NZ’s restaurants, cafes and bars in celebration of the industry’s comeback.
“New Zealand’s hospitality industry is world class but it is now suffering. Working together as one community, we have the power to help save our country’s great bars and restaurants,” said Hospitality New Zealand Wellington Branch president and owner of the Panhead outlet on Tory St in central Wellington, Matt McLaughlin.
As well as its commitment to supporting and reviving the local hospitality industry, Cheers To Your Local will help support the Government’s messaging around socialising responsibly as we move to Alert Level 2.
“We will help to reinforce the importance of the protocols that have been set by the Government,” says Blaikie.
“We’ll work hard with our customers and the wider industry to ensure safe social experiences that don’t hinder the gains Kiwis have made in the fight against COVID-19.”
Lion will be leveraging its network of customers and well-known and loved brands such as Steinlager and Speights to spread the message further and bring the campaign to life, encouraging New Zealanders to join in and jump at the opportunity to support by visiting the Facebook and Instagram channels to follow, download, share and engage with Cheers to Your Local.
Guy Blaikie and Matt Mclaughlin
For more information on Lion NZ, visit lionco.com
