Budgens of Islington

Budgens has launched a Free Fruit Challenge aimed at bringing more families into its stores.

The ‘Free Fruit Challenge’ offers schoolchildren of any age one free piece of fruit every day from participating Budgens stores during the campaign.

Backed by a loyalty card scheme, it’s hoped that the challenge will drive more parents and children into stores, and forms part of a wider initiative to get more families shopping in Budgens.

Every time the fruit is claimed, the child’s parent or guardian can get a loyalty card stamped, which will give them £2 off a £20 shop whenever they’ve collected five stamps.

Mike Baker, Budgens director, said: “The Free Fruit Challenge is an exciting campaign for us because it builds on our reputation for fresh produce and as a community retailer. The scheme has already been tested by our retail partner in Islington with great success. We want to reach out to young families and show them everything we have to offer, this is a great way of doing that.”

The campaign forms part of Budgens’ community activation programme and is being backed with point of sale marketing and in-store promotions. These will include loyalty cards; A-frame posters; leaflets; barkers for promotional fruit and specially designed apple-shaped stamps for stamping the cards.

The Free Fruit Challenge launches in Budgens of Byfleet in Surrey this week (w/c 15 June) before being trialled in the other new proposition stores in Crouch End and Broadstone. Once trials are completed across those initial three stores the intention is to then offer the scheme to retailer partners and roll-out to the rest of the estate.

Only one piece of fruit and stamp can be claimed per child per day and money off vouchers must be redeemed within one month, at the store of origin.