Gear up – the Summer of Cycling is here!

ZPR ensured that the Summer of Cycling went off with a bang by hosting the first ever Halfords lifestyle press event for cycling, lifestyle, women’s and men’s press.

A retro themed event was held at the Galleria in the Royal Opera Arcade on Pall Mall.  The look and feel mirrored one of those trendy bike cafes you often see Shoreditch-way. Quirky touches were added with a retro ice-cream trike and coffee cart providing endless, tasty refreshments for journos whilst they perused new season bike, accessory and wearable fitness launches. 

 

58 journalists turned up to the event – many with their bikes, keen to benefit from the all-day bike clinic run by the Halfords We Repair team, offering them a free bike service and maintenance on-site.  Whilst journos tucked into caramel icecream, pear sorbet, lattes and cappuccinos, as they lapped up the new collections, their much-loved bikes were being given lots of TLC!

The highlight for many was seeing the queen of the velodrome and nation’s sweetheart, Victoria Pendleton, and the talented and much-admired Chris Boardman.  They chatted to a number of journalists in the retro café area and we even had a surprise visit from Good Morning Britain who were keen to get Victoria’s tips for children on cycling safely.

Halfords even launched an in-depth report on cycling safely at the event, highlighting the nation’s views on the much debated topic as well as revealing parents’ and Londoners’ opinions on cycle safety.

So you can see, there’s been lots going for the team this month. It’s been such a whirlwind of activity, with only a few weeks to pull off a huge event, that I’m sure we’ll all be dreaming of bikes, pedals, helmets, chains and saddles for many weeks to come!

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Heston Summer Cup, cricket and Lord's - the summer season's officially here

While the chinking of ice with Pimms, the aroma of British fresh strawberries and the welcome turning back of the clocks are all undeniable signs that summer is in sight, here at ZPR the only way to know the summer season is officially  underway is the arrival of the Waitrose Summer Party.

This year it was held at the quintessentially British venue of Lord's Cricket Ground, to celebrate Waitrose's three-year term as official Team Sponsor of England Cricket and to say thank you to partners, suppliers and friends of the supermarket alike. While we confess to not being the most clued up on cricket (how can one game last so many days?!), we couldn't fail to be impressed by unrivalled access to the Long Room, player dressing rooms and of course views onto the pitch itself.

Upon arrival, guests were treated to a selection of gorgeous canapés, devised by Waitrose executive chef Jonathan Moore and his team, including coronation chicken scotch eggs, treacle cured salmon, white chocolate cricket bats with strawberries and cream cricket ball truffles all expertly matched with the delicious Foxhole Vineyard English Rosé.

We were privileged to be joined by the likes of Steve Jones, Alan Titchmarsh, Mary Berry and Ben Fogle. And who could forget Pippa Middleton who, along with Lisa Snowdon, wore a dress in a gorgeous shade of green, in addition to revealing a new shorter haircut.

A fab night to celebrate the best of summer - here's to a great cricket season and next stop, Christmas in July! 

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Happy 50th Birthday Superdrug!

Phew! What a busy month April was for our Superdrug team. Why? Well, it’s not every day you turn 50. Not the spring chickens on the team of course – Superdrug (which may be 50, but is still looking fabulous).

Obviously, Superdrug wanted to make lots of noise about its golden anniversary. Iconic brands created limited edition products to celebrate, including St Tropez, Revlon, Max Factor, Rimmel, Carmex and Astral, so it was all hands on deck making sure media were briefed and samples were shared. As we expected the products went down a storm and we’ve seen some brilliant coverage.

We built a series of news stories focusing on the heritage of the brand. Seeing the development of the beauty industry over the last half century proved fascinating to media, with survey and news coverage appearing in much of the national press. We also created a Beauty Through The Ages stop motion video, recreating iconic looks from the 60s to today, which was seeded out to online media and bloggers as well being hosted on Superdrug’s own social channels – have a look and choose your favourite!

Superdrug Beauty Through The Ages video

We invited 60s icon Lulu – also celebrating 50 years in the spotlight this year, can you believe it?! – to Superdrug’s Putney store, just a few doors down from where the first ever store was opened. Looking chic as ever, Lulu posed up a storm outside the store, which was redesigned for the day to echo the original shop front. Giving interviews to the Daily Mail and DARE, Superdrug’s instore magazine, the Shout singer spoke about her own love of hair and beauty. A Superdrug girl through and through!

We saw Superdrug MD Joey Wat joined at the Putney store by Howard and Ronald Goldstein, two of Superdrug’s founding brothers. Together they unveiled a plaque heralding the brand’s 50^th year, before presenting the store team with a 50^th birthday cake. Last week also saw Superdrug hosting a celebration event to thank suppliers, media, and colleagues for their support. A few famous friends of the brands were also in attendance, helping secure coverage across key showbiz websites and with consumer party pages covering the event in the coming weeks.

So as you can see, there’s been plenty to keep the team busy this spring. It’s been such an exciting couple of months, and we’re sure you’ll join us in wishing Superdrug a very happy birthday – here’s to the next 50 years! 

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