EzTenda, pronounced “easy tender”, is a digital marketplace that provides hospitality venues increased choice and access to Listing fees, Retros, Free Stock & Marketing Budgets, allowing drinks brands a direct and efficient way to secure listings in the venues that best fit their brand. 

Having raised £560,000 in pre-seed funding in October 2021, the SaaS company has today announced that it has secured an additional £1 million in seed investment from Matthew Freud, Founder and Chairman of freuds communications and tech investor, Jonnie Goowdin OBE Partner, Head of Merchant Banking at Alvarium Investments and Be At One Founder Rhys Oldfield, who commented, 

“I knew immediately I would invest. Tendering made a huge difference to Be At One. EzTenda gives every operator access to the marketing budgets available from every brand, big and small. Whether it be house pour or back-bar, it’s a no-brainer.” 

The seed round will fund the software engineering of automating the tendering process between venues and drinks brands, alongside funding integrations with some of the biggest players in the hospitality industry. The additional investment also provides the opportunity to expand the core team. 

EzTenda’s eBay-style system of tenders and bids means venues have access to a larger pool of brands than ever before. It provides easy access to the right products, whether it’s a pouring spirit for a large group or a premium brand for an independent bar, with a transparent process and competitive prices, providing venues using EzTenda have access to offerings tailored to their needs. 

Inspired by his experience negotiating listing deals as both a sales manager and drinks entrepreneur, Sam Showering, the platforms founder, said, 

“Unprecedented times make the old way of brand-led drinks sales unsustainable. The process needs to be reimagined for the digital age, and EzTenda does exactly that.”

Doug Warden, EzTenda CEO, added, 

“At EzTenda, we love drinks and the role they play in social occasions. We want to elevate drinking experiences for consumers, and believe that innovation, competition and collaboration raise the bar for all.” 

Listings often come with significant brand support, in the form of retros, listing fees and marketing budgets. EzTenda not only facilitates these negotiations, but also brings some much-needed transparency to the process and tracks the brand support that was agreed upon. 

Events of the past few years have seen businesses having to seek efficiencies across their operation, and the launch of EzTenda provides convenient solutions to drinks brands and hospitality businesses alike. Crucially, the platform’s design makes the process of tendering and bidding easy, allowing drinks brands and hospitality venues more time to work with their chosen partners and deliver activations. 

How EzTenda works for venues 

Hospitality venues using EzTenda sign up to the site and add tenders, providing details of their requirements. There’s no cost for venues to sign up, or for posting tenders. 

Brands bid on these tenders, providing information about cost, volumes and brand support, as well as supplier information. Venues are able to communicate with brands via the platform, and request samples if necessary. They can then rate bids via their dashboard on the site. 

Once a bid is chosen, a PDF agreement is sent to both parties. Venues are responsible for procuring products from the agreed suppliers, and can keep track of brand support on the EzTenda site. 

How EzTenda works for brands 

Tenders are shown on the EzTenda site from a variety of venues, as well as groups of venues. Brands can bid on relevant tenders, providing information about cost, brand support and more. They can also use the site to communicate directly with venues. 

Bids are rated by venues, so that brands can compete proactively. Once a bid is won, a PDF agreement is sent to both parties. Brands don’t pay anything to sign up, or to bid on tenders. When a bid is won, they pay a percentage of the estimated tender volumes multiplied by the price of the product paid by the venue. 

Positive change, better brand support 

Since EzTenda officially launched in May 2022, the number of hospitality venues using the platform has been steadily growing. These include Stonegate, Firmdale, The Pig Hotels, M Restaurants, JKS Restaurants and Simmons Bars, and the list is growing every month.

For more information, visit www.eztenda.com, or email [email protected].

ENDS 

About EzTenda 

Launched in May 2022, EzTenda is a digital platform for drinks brands and hospitality businesses to negotiate listings via eBay-style tenders and bids. The site gives both parties access to far greater choice, and allows venues to secure brand support for their listings. 

Sign up today: www.eztenda.com