Slug and Lettuce calls time on slow payments

Chain rolls out Barclaycard contactless payment terminals at 80 pubs nationwide

Slug and Lettuce has called time on slow payments across its chain of pubs. As of today it will accept contactless payments at its 80 pubs nationwide for orders of £15 and under. The rollout comes after a hugely successful trial in four of its London pubs, which saw Barclaycard terminals processing 1,500 contactless transactions in one month alone.

The move to contactless will mean an end to handling and processing soggy banknotes, instead customers can simply pay for goods and services by simply holding their card on a reader, without the need to enter a PIN or sign their name. Currently, the average transactional value at Slug and Lettuce is £8.89 making contactless the ideal form of payment for a quick lunch break.

The Stonegate Pub Company Ltd, the operators of Slug and Lettuce, have a number of pubs/restaurants including Yates’s with 66 outlets, and pubs Litten Tree and Hogs Head. It is envisaged contactless will be rolled out across all of these outlets in the near future. Currently, 61% of card transactions processed by The Stonegate Pub Company’s pubs/restaurants are below £20, which account for 2.5 million transactions annually.

George Wright, head of marketing for The Stonegate Pub Company, says:

“The trial was an astounding success for us and was well received by our customers. It reduced queuing significantly, giving diners smooth and quick service. Our customers are time sensitive and don’t want to be limited in their choice of food due to the amount of cash they have on them at the time. For these reasons we see contactless payments having a huge future in the pub environment.”

Richard Armstong, head of UK payment acceptance at Barclaycard, comments:

“The sheer number of transactions made in the trial period for Slug and Lettuce highlights the positive impact that new technologies in the retail environment have on customers. It also shows the progression of contactless payments and by 2012 we expect contactless to be a mainstream payment technology. We are confident it will continue to deliver great benefits to Slug and Lettuce and its customers and are also excited about the prospect of the contactless system being rolled out across The Stonegate Pub Company.”

Contactless is fast reaching tipping point and Barclays and Barclaycard have spearheaded the drive to offer the payment technology to consumers. Following last month’s launch of the UK’s first contactless mobile payment service, by Barclaycard and Orange, customers will also be able to pay using their mobile phone. There are also over 11.4 million contactless-enabled cards Barclays debit and Barclaycard credit cards in circulation.

The number of contactless terminals has also grown significantly, with Barclaycard having provided around 50,000 outlets with terminals by March 2011. As the number of terminals has increased, so too has the variety of outlets in which contactless can be used. Entertainment and leisure venues, such as the Wembley and O2 Arenas, began offering the payment technology in 2010.
Notes to Editors:

About contactless

Contactless payment enables customers to make a purchase of £15 or less without the need to sign or enter a pin. Barclays and Barclaycard are leading the way in introducing contactless and there are now over 11.4 million contactless-enabled Barclaycards and Barclays debit cards, helping retailers reduce queuing and cut the cost of card transactions. In line with its history of providing customers with innovative payment forms, Barclaycard also intends to make payments by mobile phone available to the mass market by 2012.

Barclays and Barclaycard are the leading providers of Contactless terminals, providing them for around 50,000 outlets in the UK, including Prêt A Manger, Subway, Starbucks and EAT.

To find out more about Contactless payment, visit www.barclaycard.co.uk/contactless/ or www.Barclays.co.uk/contactless

Barclaycard, part of Barclays Global and Retail Banking division, is a leading global payment business which understands the needs of both purchasers and sellers. It enables retailers and merchants to accept cards, helps customers make payments through card, contactless and mobile applications as well as extending credit to consumers. The company is one of the pioneers of new forms of payments and is at the forefront of developing viable contactless and mobile payment schemes for today and cutting edge forms of payment for the future. It also issues credit and charge cards to corporate customers and the UK Government. Barclaycard partners with a wide range of organisations across the globe to offer their customers or members payment options and credit. In addition to the UK, Barclaycard operates in the United States, Europe and Africa.

Key facts published in February 2011;
- number of UK customers: 11.2m
- number of International customers: 10.5m
- number of retailer/merchant relationships: 87,000.