Snacks have become a natural part of seeing a film and cinemas are attractive advertising locations for brands to be seen in. Besides easy handling, the PortaSnack™ packaging solution offers a branding opportunity – in this case for Empire Cinemas and Robinsons Fruit Shoot drinks.
“The design and printing breathe quality and enhance the cinema experience,” says Gordon MacDonald, Retail Manager at Empire Cinemas.
The chain owns a total of 16 cinemas in the UK, its flagship venue being the legendary Empire at Leicester Square in London. In 1896, this former variety theatre was the first place in the UK to show films to paying audiences. In 1928, the building was remodelled as a cinema and the site has been modernised at regular intervals to suit the cinema culture of the day. Today, the facility has eight auditoriums, one of which seats 1,300 people and hosts all major premieres. The technical equipment is state-of-the-art, making this the Rolls-Royce of cinemas. So this is the place to look out for royalty or celebrities.
In the impressive foyer, snack sales have become an important feature and easy handling is essential. “We are extremely pleased with this solution”, says Gordon MacDonald.
With the PortaSnack™ concept, supplier PortaBrands, already the UK's leading innovator in packaging solutions for drinks, is now branching into snacks. The list of awards received by the company is impressive. “We are constantly developing new packaging products that allow people to eat and drink on the move – products adapted for today’s lifestyle”, explains Ian Bates, CEO and innovator at PortaBrands.
“We tried both recycled fibre and folding boxboard for this product but neither gave the desired performance. The locking flap at the front broke easily, the scoring was indistinct and the perforations didn’t always work”, says Ian Bates.