Potters' premier status is a business benefit
YOU WOULD expect retail businesses within a stone's throw of Stoke City's now famous ground to feel the effects of Premier League success most keenly.
Pubs, hotels, burger vans and opportunist companies selling their office car parking spaces on matchday have all, to some extent, swelled their coffers thanks to more than 27,000 potential customers landing on their doorsteps every other week.
But, other than the club itself, it is perhaps the business that has its name on the stadium which has reaped the greatest rewards.
No matter where the Potters finish in the table, research carried out by Leek building society Britannia has found it is in the top 10 most recognised brands among Premier League club sponsors.
Thousands of football watchers were asked to think of brands which sponsored teams.
Britannia featured in the top ten, alongside the likes of Carlsberg, Emirates, AIG, JJB Sports, Reebok and Northern Rock.
Brands which featured below Britannia included Chang Beer, Crown Paints and OKI.
And more than eight out of ten interviewees knew which team the society was associated with.
A Britannia spokesman said: "For Britannia, as main sponsor of the club, stadium and first team shirts, it has been an opportunity for increased brand awareness as the club has had a much higher profile.
"This first season in the Premier League has meant a huge increase in media interest for the club and consequently the Britannia logo has been seen more widely.
"It is fantastic that after many years of supporting Stoke City we have been able to benefit from this exposure.
"Retaining Premier League status is a fantastic achievement and we are delighted for Stoke City.
"It's a great opportunity not only for the club, but also for Stoke-on-Trent and it's great for community sprit."
This season is the 12th in succession the mutual has been the club sponsor.
The shirt sponsorship deal runs until the end of next season. There is a small annual increase in the fee and there are promotion and relegation clauses.
But it is the stadium deal that represents something of a jackpot for Britannia. That runs until 2016 – with no increase in cost to the business if Stoke City are in the top flight.
The spokesman added: "Football sponsorship is just one element that contributes to our overall brand awareness – but it reaches a huge audience. It helps to ensure that Britannia is top of people's minds when they come to think about their mortgage and savings needs."
Firms within a misplaced pass of the ground have also seen benefits – although not as significant as expected in the case of the Holiday Inn Express a few hundred yards away.
Angela Nicholls, the hotel's general manager, said: "We were expecting a lot more away fans to stay overnight. But most seem to be travelling by coaches and they are here and back in a day.
"I think they see that as good value when they are cutting back.
"Newcastle brought a few who stayed overnight, and so did Chelsea and Tottenham, but there haven't been as many as we expected.
"One increase we have had is the bar sales. Stoke City have always had a loyal fan base and that seems to have been extended more regularly now.
"It used to be that our bar got the overflow from the Harvester next door, but we are getting more coming in now.
"We also sell some car parking spaces and they go incredibly quickly. If people are not here an hour before kick off they will end up being turned away."
Even though the Harvester pub and restaurant has always been busy on match days, often turning people away even when City were in the Championship, sales have been boosted by Premier League crowds.
Fans arrive much earlier to bag a car park space, and choose to have a drink or a meal rather than sit in the ground.
Carol Rabone, retail business manager at Harvester Trentham Lakes, said: "We have a fantastic relationship with the football club, so much so we've had some of the players in for photographs in the past. Match days are of course especially busy and we open slightly earlier than usual so that the fans have time for a bite to eat before kick off."
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