The new campaign assets feature either an iconic National Lottery pink ticket or a Scratchcard, with taglines such as Because everyone has a birthday and Happy ‘Don’t get me anything’ Day. All ads will also display the ‘Best Gift Ever’ strapline and a specially-designed ‘18+ Gift Responsibly’ mark – to re-iterate the need for people to still be 18 or older to buy, gift, receive and play.

Already appearing on radio, out-of-home and print, the new campaign will develop over the coming weeks and months. June will see a ‘Best Gift Ever’ in-store takeover – featuring playstation inserts, posters, wobblers and counter cards – and the campaign will then shift focus in the lead-up to Christmas, traditionally The National Lottery’s biggest gifting moment.

In line with Allwyn’s commitment to protecting players and operating in a socially responsible way, from 1^st October, the operator will be introducing a 10-Scratchcard per transaction limit in stores – matching the existing limit for authorised online retailer partners.

‘SETTING A NEW STANDARD’

As retailers will know, purchase data shows that the vast majority of in-store players already buy far fewer Scratchcards than this at one time, so these players won’t see any difference when making their purchases. However, the new in-store cap will help to minimise the likelihood of any excessive play, while still giving players the opportunity to buy up to 10 games in one go to give as gifts.

Allwyn’s Director of Channel Operations, Alex Green, said: “Whether it’s a Lotto, EuroMillions, Set For Life ticket or a Scratchcard, National Lottery games are a great little gift that people can buy in store to give to adult family or friends.

“Not only could the ticket go on to win a fantastic prize, but by buying one, they’re also helping raise vital money for National Lottery-funded projects. So, when your customers are shopping for birthday, anniversary, congratulatory or thank you gifts, why not suggest they pop a Lucky Dip or Scratchcard in their card?

“In line with making sure The National Lottery remains a trusted and safe environment, we’ll also be setting a new standard for National Lottery player protection by introducing an in-store Scratchcard limit later this year. We’ll be speaking to retailers over the coming months about how this will work and, as always, are grateful for their help and support in preventing underage and excessive play in their stores.”

The post Allwyn launches overarching National Lottery gifting campaign to run in 2024 first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Designed in collaboration with accessibility and sustainability experts, the family of PPOS will help deliver more modern retail environments and capture the attention of customers with eye-catching branding and ‘call to action’ messages, as well as giving National Lottery retailers for the first time the ability to display information about National Lottery-funded projects that are local to their store.

The suite of kit includes an attention-grabbing illuminated Scratchcard dispenser with integrated lighting and 15.6-inch HD screen, and a new Playstation with double-sided graphics and a wing to display key information – such as stories about local National Lottery-funded projects.

Completing the collection are a new external wall sign and a double-sided pavement sign featuring a ‘call to action’ to play in store, as well as a refreshed window poster frame. In most cases, these items will be swapped out on a like-for-like basis with a store’s existing kit – but larger or additional assets may be offered in certain circumstances.

LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN

Allwyn called on the expertise of its accessibility partner, Purple, and its sustainability partner, Planet Mark, in designing the new PPOS to help with its commitment to delivering a more sustainable and accessible National Lottery.

For example, the height of the new Playstation tables has been standardised at a level recommended by Purple (750mm) which is considerate of wheelchair users – as has the Scratchcard dispenser media screen – while the playslips are set at a height within reach of wheelchair users. Graphics and signage, as well as the surfaces they sit behind, have also been designed to meet accessibility requirements.

In terms of sustainability, lightweight designs ensure that the kit and its transportation are carbon-efficient, while recycled and recyclable materials have been prioritised in the manufacture and deployment of the new PPOS – with some components made with 60-100% recycled materials.

The first independent retailer to have the kit installed as part of the ‘test and learn’ trial, was Raj Kularajah, owner of Twinsco store in St Albans.

“I was delighted to be selected as the first independent store to have the new PPOS installed, and to be able to provide feedback on the equipment to help with the wider rollout,” he said.

“After it was first installed, two of my regular customers who had never played the lottery before saw the new kit and decided to play EuroMillions, which is absolutely excellent.

“I’m really impressed with the kit overall, particularly the new Playstation wing which can be fitted to either side of the stand depending on how the store is laid out and what space is available. But my favourite piece is the new Scratchcard dispenser which really brings to life and illuminates the individual games. Its bigger windows also make it easier to load with cards.”

Allwyn’s Director of Channel Operations Alex Green said: “We’re hugely excited that National Lottery retailers are starting to get their hands on this brilliant new kit as part of our ‘test and learn’ trial deployment.

‘Equipping stores with the latest innovative kit is just one element of a much bigger overall project to build a more modern in-store environment’

“As well as looking fantastic, the new PPOS has been designed to high standards of accessibility and sustainability – demonstrating The National Lottery’s commitment to delivering wider societal benefits. We know retailers will be keen to get the kit as soon as possible, but it’s important we trial it first and use our findings to inform a more substantial phased rollout across our 40,000-strong estate. This will help us get the deployment absolutely right for our retail partners.

“The project to equip retailers with the very best National Lottery PPOS also represents the next stage of our investment in retail and signals our commitment to the channel as a whole, with retail being central to our vision to grow The National Lottery responsibly over the next 10 years. But equipping stores with the latest innovative kit is just one element of a much bigger overall project to build a more modern in-store environment.

“As part of this, we’ll also be delivering an enhanced Vodafone network solution for our retail partners from this spring, and installing new software from the summer onwards ahead of us starting to roll out new state-of-the-art terminals towards the end of the year.”

The next phase of the PPOS rollout will see the new kit deployed in around 40 stores by the end of May, with another 10,000 outlets scheduled to receive the new PPOS later in the year. The kit will then be rolled out to the remainder of the estate throughout the autumn and into 2025.

The post Allwyn begins next phase of retail investment with new PPOS rollout trial first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

In just one day alone in February, almost 1,000 National Lottery retailers signed up to start using the all-new online platform.
Developed by world-leading learning solutions provider, Sponge, Allwyn launched the Retail Training Centre at the beginning of February to support independent store owners and their staff to be responsible National Lottery retailers with ‘always on’ digital training that’s available to them whenever suits them best – making it easier to regularly train staff in store.

As well as documents containing key information about how to sell National Lottery games responsibly, the platform features engaging training modules on ‘Preventing Underage Play’ and ‘Minimising Excessive Play’. It will also be updated centrally by Allwyn with new and improved training over the coming months and years.

Easily accessible to all store staff
As well as being available on mobile or desktop, the Retail Training Centre has been specially developed so that its user profiles don’t require the use of personal data to log in. As a result, training is more accessible to all staff – including casual and temporary employees – as there’s no need to ‘sign up’.

The platform instead works by only having one user profile and login per store, with sub-folders containing all the necessary training that can be assigned to each member of staff.

This approach also allows Allwyn to see whether a store has completed the necessary training to ensure they’re compliant with important areas such as ‘Underage Play’, with Allwyn Retail Sales Executives able to offer additional support during store visits if needed.

‘We’re delighted with the initial uptake of our new digital training platform’

Digital-first for the future
Additionally, Allwyn’s digital-first approach to training its retail partners has seen the company embed the use of the platform in its retailer onboarding process, making it mandatory for any new National Lottery retailer to activate their Retail Training Centre account and complete the digital training before their National Lottery equipment is installed.

This ensures new retailers understand the obligations of being a responsible retailer before they even begin selling National Lottery products.

The digital nature of the platform also means new training can be issued by Allwyn network-wide, or to individual stores, depending on requirements. This means Allwyn can effectively train its entire retail estate on specific areas in one go – making training quicker, easier, and more convenient, as retailers can complete the training in their own time.

The results of the platform are already compelling: since February, the platform’s key assets which include documents like a ‘Healthy Play workbook’, ‘Operational Excellence’ and ‘What is Challenge 25?’ have been downloaded over 23,000 times, while the two training modules have been completed over 5,600 times and counting.

Mohammed Rajak from Buywell Day Today in Glasgow, said: “The new platform has really helped me train my staff by being able to download useful information and print it for them to read.

“We can either access the Retail Training Centre on my mobile, or use the printouts – which makes it easier. The modules are accessible within a couple of clicks which is useful for referring back to. I feel proud knowing my staff have done the training and we now have a certificate to prove it.”

Alex Green, Allwyn’s Director of Channel Operations, said: “We’re delighted with the initial uptake of our new digital training platform, with thousands of retailers having already signed up to complete the training and increase their knowledge of how to sell The National Lottery responsibly.

“As well as a newly-embedded process in place to get new retailers signed up and using the platform even before they start trading, our digital-first approach will make distributing National Lottery training simpler and more effective. We’ll be able to issue new training immediately, keeping retailers completely up to date with the latest guidance and modules. We’d encourage all independent National Lottery retailers who haven’t already done so to sign up and start benefiting from our fantastic new platform.”

Fran Campbell, Sponge’s Client Director, said: “Allwyn’s primary objective for this training solution was to have a digital-first approach to their retail training. A platform that would be future-proof, convenient and engaging for retailers and, most importantly, one that would be accessible to all store staff without any barriers.

“We’re pleased we were able to deliver exactly this for Allwyn and their retailers with our learning platform, Spark, and are delighted it’s already producing incredible results.”

Independent National Lottery retailers who are eligible to use the Retail Training Centre will have received a number of welcome emails to the same email address they used to sign their National Lottery Fourth Licence contract, and they should refer to these to sign up to the new platform.

The post Allwyn finds winning formula with new digitally-led National Lottery retailer training first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Signalling its commitment to the retail channel, Allwyn is recruiting 55 new sales reps over the coming months – as well as a number of new managers – with the increase in personnel set to significantly enhance the level of support provided to National Lottery retailers.

Further excitement to mark the start of Allwyn becoming the new National Lottery operator will arrive in the shape of brand-new Lotto advertising which launches across the UK on 1^st February. Helping to boost retail sales by driving players into stores, the eye-catching ‘always on’ Lotto campaign will feature a refreshed brand look and some quirky out-of-home advertising.

WELCOME TO ALLWYN

After months of fantastic co-operation from store owners during the transition to the new operator, the company has been busy preparing National Lottery retailers for day one of its 10-year licence with final key pieces of information and deliveries.

A ‘Welcome to Allwyn’ pack, containing a new Players’ Guide and a Retailer Organiser Folder with updated content in line with the new National Lottery licence, will start landing in stores from 26^th January. Retailers can also expect a delivery from 1^st February of a new National Lottery playstation Good Causes POS disk to highlight the amazing £4 million-plus that National Lottery players help to raise every single day for National Lottery Good Causes.

And, as a result of the changeover – including necessary updates to core gaming systems and terminals – Allwyn is in the process of informing retailers that in-store terminals are expected to be operational from 8.30am on 1^st February. National Lottery retailers should leave their terminals on overnight on 31^st January to ensure they are able to download all necessary software upgrades overnight, and get back up and running as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the new £5 Black Pearl Scratchcard is already available in retail, and sales of the £2 million jackpot game will be given a huge boost when its mega new campaign featuring special in-store POS launches on 4^th March. And more in-store activity will be heading retailers’ way ahead of the celebratory £15 million Lotto ‘Must Be Won’ draw on Saturday 2^nd March, with POS for the draw landing from 19^th February.

Retailers should site this immediately to drive those extra sales and see as much as a 53%* sales uplift from the draw.

‘EXHILARATING NEW CHAPTER’

National Lottery retailers should also be aware that DPD will replace Parcelforce as the chosen courier for Scratchcard and consumable deliveries and collections – all of which will be delivered from a new eco-friendly warehouse in Warrington.

The new warehouse – which will help Allwyn on its journey to deliver a net zero National Lottery – will also feature a dedicated Scratchcard fulfilment team that, from March, will be proactively contacting retailers to make sure they have everything they need to sell National Lottery Scratchcards effectively.

Allwyn’s Director of Channel Operations, Alex Green said: “Retailers are absolutely central to our vision to grow The National Lottery responsibly over the next 10 years – and expanding our sales team in the next few months to considerably boost our support for them is just the start of what we have planned.

“While the focus for day one of the new 10-year licence has always been prioritising ‘business as usual’ – with players and retailers seeing very little change to start with – we have huge investment planned for retail technology, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to ensuring the channel remains healthy, relevant and buoyant.

“The new licence heralds an exhilarating new chapter for The National Lottery and the massive good it does for people and communities across the whole of the UK – and I’m really looking forward to working with all of our retailers as we embark on this exciting journey together.”

*Based on Lotto special event sales 1 July 2023 vs base sales 24 June 2023.

The post Allwyn to expand National Lottery retail sales team by 50% in next few months first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Allwyn, the incoming operator of The National Lottery has urged any independent retailers who have not yet completed the TRA to do so before Monday 18^th December.

All independent retailers will have received communications outlining what they need to do to complete the TRA, including:

• Registering their store and creating an account to start the process
• Confirming their personal details (they’ll need the last three digits of the bank account used to pay their current National Lottery invoices, as well as proof of identity)
• Reading and signing their Transfer of Retailer Agreement

Retailers can access the portal via TNLpartners.co.uk or by scanning a QR code featured on the communications they’ve been sent, and it’s worth noting that this process can only be completed by the store owner.

In addition to the wider independent estate, Allwyn and Camelot have also been communicating with independent Post Offices to enable them to continue as National Lottery retailers in the Fourth Licence. The majority of these Post Offices will move across in February. For those that need further support, Allwyn is in the process of contacting all of them individually to explain the next steps.

Following the 18^th December Agreement transfer deadline, retailers will receive a ‘Welcome to Allwyn’ pack early in the New Year, which will contain more information on what they can expect from 1^st February – including initial details of new and improved National Lottery games from March 2024 onwards. Retailers will also receive information about the training they will need to complete digitally ahead of the changeover.

The post Deadline fast approaching for National Lottery transfer of retailer agreement first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.