173% increase in number of cinema vouchers purchased by John Lewis Partners following launch of branded portal

As part of its extensive employee benefits offering, John Lewis employees, known as ‘Partners’, have been able to purchase discounted cinema vouchers for the past five years. However, since the retailer introduced its branded Cinema Benefits portal, provided by Filmology, in March 2012 there has been a 173% upsurge in purchases.

Partners can now log on to the John Lewis branded portal and purchase cinema vouchers to access the best discounts on cinema admissions, available seven days a week, and so are able to stretch their budgets further. To date, more than 25% of John Lewis employees have registered and now use the Cinema Benefits platform on a regular basis.

Vouchers can be redeemed at more than 440 cinemas across the UK and Ireland, including Cineworld, Showcase, Apollo and Empire cinemas. The cinemas include 230 independents in the UK and Ireland that are covered by Filmology’s own Independent Cinema Ticket.

Iwan Bradshaw-Hughes, Manager Leisure Benefits at the John Lewis Partnership says: “Partners were initially able to purchase discounted cinema vouchers in store. The introduction of this portal increases the convenience significantly by enabling users to simply log on to the portal, type in their location to find out which cinemas are in the vicinity and then buy discounted admission vouchers. The vouchers are either delivered in the post, or, if purchased for admission to a Cineworld cinema, are texted or emailed directly to the user’s mobile phone.

“Cinema related benefits are popular because they capture everyone’s imagination. The web portal streamlines the purchasing process, making it less technically challenging. This empowers more Partners to purchase vouchers, giving greater access to a positive benefit, something proven by the uplift in voucher sales. The John Lewis Partnership prides itself on being an employer of distinction and we are pleased to enable staff to make substantial savings which support their overall lifestyle.”

David Pearson, Director of Filmology comments: “John Lewis is an example of best practice by an organisation that is utilising the appeal of film to motivate, engage and reward its employees. Cinema is the ultimate employee benefit reward with universal appeal, and can be enjoyed by everyone nationwide, with different films to suit different tastes arriving each week. We’re pleased to be able to offer greater flexibility by enabling the option to have the voucher delivered to their mobile phone immediately, any day of the week. ”