The days when being a shareholder allowed you widespread perks are all but gone. After all, shareholder perks – however small – eat into the bottom line, and these days many companies believe that the best way to reward shareholders is to make as big a profit as possible and return the cash to investors with a dividend or share buyback.
Events such as Young & Co's Brewery's riotous AGMs are legendary. Every year, 2,000-odd shareholders were entitled to a free lunch and unlimited beer and wine. That particular perk ended in 1986 as it was estimated to cost the company anything up to £70 a head – all for the price of a single share.
But some companies do still offer perks to shareholders, although none are so generous. Some are available to owners of just one share; others only become available after you've invested rather a lot of money.
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A word of warning, however: not all perks are available to people who hold shares in nominee accounts (which is anyone who uses any of the big online investment platforms, for instance). That said, some platforms including Hargreaves Lansdown, Fidelity and Freetrade will contact the company on your behalf to arrange the benefit.
A surprisingly high number of companies offering perks are brewers and pubcos, although a number of companies have suspended their offerings in recent years as they navigate the pandemic. Still, a handful of pubcos such as Fuller’s and Shepherd Neame continue to stand by their offers.
There are also a few discounts offered by small-cap companies, including Newbury Racecourse plc, which is listed on the AQSE Growth Market and has a market capitalisation of £27m. Stockholders with a position of 10,000 shares can receive two annual membership badges worth several hundred pounds a year, which allow access to exclusive member facilities.
Wine maker Chapel Down, another AQSE Growth equity, offers discounts to investors with 500 or more shares.
Perhaps the best bargain is for bibliophiles. Book-lovers can get 35% off all print books published by Bloomsbury, as long as they have bought at least one share (which will set you back about £4.10 at today's price).
Below is a non-comprehensive list of firms that offer perks, and the perks offered. Be aware that this list can change at any time, and companies can (and do) withdraw shareholder offers. What’s more, investors should not look to buy shares on the basis of perks alone. They’re nice to have but shouldn’t be a fundamental part of the investment case.
| Company | Shares Needed | Perk |
| Adnams PLC | 1 | 15% discount meals and accommodation at Adnams hotels and in stores |
| Bloomsbury Publishing PLC | 1 | 35% off the recommended retail price of all Bloomsbury books |
| BT Group PLC | Certificated shareholders only | Certificated shareholders can receive discounts on various products and services |
| Carnival PLC | 100 | Credit available on-board Carnival Cruises |
| Chapel Down Group PLC | 500 or 2,000 | A one off 25% discount voucher for investors with 500 to 1,999 shares. Shareholders with more than 2,000 can receive a Privilege Card |
| Character Group PLC | 1 | 20% discount on Character products purchased online |
| Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC | 1,000 | 15% discount on food and drink and a 10% discount in any of Fuller's hotels |
| Irish Continental Group PLC | 1,000 | 20% discount on Irish Continental ferry services between Ireland and Britain |
| Legal & General Group PLC | 1 | Discounts on life insurance and lifetime mortgages |
| Mitchells & Butlers plc | 1 | Investors may receive a book of vouchers granting them 20% off food and drinks |
| Mulberry Group PLC | 500 | 20% discount in certain stores |
| National Grid plc | 1 | Opportunity to attend a shareholder networking programme. |
| Newbury Racecourse plc | 100 - 10,000 | Opportunities for member badges depending on the number of shares owned |
| Next plc | 100 | 25% discount against one purchase once a year |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | 100 | On-board credit depending on the cruise duration |
| Renishaw PLC | 1 | Discounts on package holidays booked through the company's subsidiary Wotton Travel |
| Restaurant Group PLC | 250 | Vouchers giving 25% off the total bill in a number of their pubs and restaurants |
| Safestore Holdings PLC | 100 | 25% off storage and 20% off merchandise for new Safestore customers |
| Shepherd Neame | 100 - 3,000 | Various levels of discount off food & accommodation in Shepherd Neame pubs and hotels |
| Telecom Plus PLC | 1,500 | Opportunity to sign up to a special tariff that’s approximately 10% lower than the standard and a 10% rebate on non-energy services |
| Whitbread PLC | 64 | Free breakfasts in Premier Inns and a 10% discount in Whitbread restaurants with a shareholder benefit card |
| Young & Co's Brewery PLC | 1 | Occasional discounts and offers |
| N Brown Group | 1 | A discounts available on purchases from the group’s catalogues |
| Big Yellow | 1 | 10% discount at all Big Yellow or Armadillo stores |
| Associated British Foods | 1 | Free gift for all shareholders who attend the AGM with a retail value of about £30 |
Disclosure: Rupert Hargreaves owns shares in Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC
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