now2014

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issue thirty two | 2014

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Pub manager of the future

Hobgoblin brings taste to the nation

all the news, views and more from aroundtheword@thevitalagency.co.uk

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Reaping the long service rewards thEn

2006

February 2014 32 February 2014

More reasons to this year Marston’s SMILE rewards get even better! In February a new exciting Marston’s scratch card is launched – guaranteeing a winner every single time!

Scratch cards will be awarded to both front of house

and kitchen team members who deliver a brilliant Smile journey. There are an abundance of prizes up for grabs ranging from a free drink, main or desert, to cinema tickets, champagne, tickets to Alton Towers and high street vouchers.

There are also five fabulous

Golden Ticket prizes available. These include the chance to win £500 worth of holiday or shopping vouchers, or an iPad. In addition team members will have a second

opportunity to enter their ticket into a monthly prize draw, in which they can win another prize of £100.

The results of the 2013 engagement survey are being communicated out across head office, supply chain and pubs during January and early February 2014.

Cheryl Evans, Human Resources Director – Pub Operations, said: “Activity is currently being planned for meetings to take place to decide, for each area of the business, what actions will be taken to address key points raised within the survey. This activity is planned to happen throughout February and March, and will result in actions being confirmed to you around Easter.

“Thank you to everyone who took time to complete the survey. £4,886 was raised for charity including the Company charity fund, as well as Help for Heroes and the British Heart Foundation for which donations are currently being organised for payment.”

Marston’s new graduate programme to find pub managers of the future is now underway

Economics graduate Doug Cramb, from Dundee University is now currently a trainee manager at The Running Hare, Ewloe in Flintshire – the first of five pubs where he will gain experience. Doug gives the lowdown on why he chose Marston’s...

“I was considering graduate programs with a number of financial and banking institutions. However, the assessment days at these places left me feeling a little cold and I couldn’t really see myself fitting in.

“I had previously worked in bars, hotels and restaurants. Working in the hospitality sector suits my personality and I began to think about it as a long-term career choice.

“After looking around I found that there was no real hands on training course open to

graduates with a view to taking on their own pubs. Then I came across Marston’s new pub graduate programme, it seemed ideal. The fact the company places a massive investment into new build pubs and is investing into Scotland, were two major draws for me.

“The initial assessment day opened my eyes even more about what Marston’s could offer. The area and training managers were very supportive and the structure in place to aide my progression seemed to be just what I was after.

“Since starting the programme I’ve become more independent having moved away from my friends and family in Scotland. Thankfully I’m working with such a top team, at The Running Hare. I’m learning every day and hopefully I can prove myself and then manage my own pub one day.”

Graduating with honours

next steps

lEADTHE CHARgE

Good start to 2014 sees like-for-like sales improve on last year

The team at Marston’s brewery have created a new beer with the band elbow to coincide with the launch of their new album, ‘The Take Off And landing Of Everything’, which is out on March 10th.

Attracted by developing a beer in the spiritual home of British brewing, the band collaborated with Marston’s brewer, genevieve Upton, to produce a classic, easy drinking pale ale. There’s also a nod to American steam beers, as it is fermented at a higher temperature than normal to release a fruity aroma and sweeter finish. The name ‘Charge’ comes from a new track on the band’s album.

The beer is available as a seasonal guest in cask for March and permanently in bottle.

Marston’s held its Annual general Meeting on January 21st with encouraging figures announced over the first quarter.

In Destination and Premium, like-for-like sales were 4.1% ahead of last year. This included like-for-like food sales growth of 5.6% and wet like-for-like sales growth of 2.2%. Operating margins are

slightly ahead of last year and accelerated plans for 25-30 new-pub restaurants in the current financial year are on track, with eleven openings expected in the first half.

In Taverns, managed and franchise pub like-for-like sales were 3.0% ahead of last year, with strong Christmas and New Year trading. In leased, profits are estimated to be

around 1% ahead of last year.In Brewing, continued

growth in premium ales has benefited operating margins, resulting in profits being slightly ahead.

Ralph Findlay, Chief Executive, said: “We traded well over the Christmas period. Our excellent value festive offers saw 55,000 meals served on Christmas Day – a record.”

elbow pictured with the Marston’s team members: top row – second from left, Adrian Oliver; fourth from left Genevieve Upton; bottom row – first from left Thomas Lenihan; third from left Justin Way.

sTRONg FIRsT qUARTER REsUlTs

February 2014 54 February 2014

Marston’s is going full steam ahead into 2014, with work already well underway for a number of brand new sites.

It is an exciting year for Marston’s new build initiative. The company is on track to open 25–30 new pub restaurants across the UK with each site creating more than 50 new jobs once completed.

Last year Marston’s proudly opened its first ever new build pubs in Scotland. This year the expansion north of the border continues with sites set to open in Dunfermline and Port Glasgow this spring and summer respectively.

These two new builds will both cater for 180 diners and will offer a Milestone Carvery alongside an

extensive menu of popular dishes.In the south, work is progressing

well on several new pub restaurants, which can be found in a number of locations. These include the seaside town of Weston–Super-Mare, the historic market town of Shrewsbury and the coastal city of Swansea.

4 February 2014

New year, New pubs!This year is set to be

a great 12 months for Marston’s and its ever expanding new

build programme

New franchisees Andrew and Lorraine Fuller are keeping it in the family at their pub The Swans in Dorset

After 27 rewarding years in the Royal Artillery, Captain Andrew Fuller applied for early redundancy so he could realise his lifetime ambition to have a pub of his very own.

Andrew, along with wife lorraine, took over the swans pub in Verwood, Dorset in December 2013 and received a fantastic reception from the local community.

Andrew said: “Dad suggested Marston’s to us and we haven’t looked back since.

Franchising was certainly the best option in so many ways. It was so much better than trying to do it all alone.

“The investment, training and support we have had from Marston’s has been fantastic. ”

“My parents, Tricia and Tony, have several decades’ experience of running large family pubs in the countryside, so their knowledge is invaluable. Our daughter sian, her fiancé Joe and their son Kieron also help contribute in different ways with the day to day running of the pub.

“People are impressed with the refurbishments that have taken place at the pub. We are making it our focus to set different areas aside for customers with specific needs and with special facilities to cater for everyone.

“Our customers also love the fact that we have changed the pub from a rowdy place into a family-friendly one where children are welcomed and provision is made for them. We are already very popular, as we are the only pub like this in the village.”

Family matters in Franchise

New build programme began with the Cobblers Hall in Newton Aycliffe

pubs built since 2003

pubs built last year

pubs to be built this year

is the average cost of a new build

will be invested in the programme from this year onwards

20031002226

£2.5m£60m

A Marston’s leased pub featured in The Observer’s top ten list of ‘Britain’s most scenic pubs with bracing walks attached’.

The George Inn at Alstonefield, Peak District was suggested for its game pasties, venison burgers and winter vegetable pot pies. The pub is a destination for walkers and visitors to the area and was described as being ‘at the heart of the village’ and ‘elegant but simple, with roaring fires.’

Run by a third generation licensee Emily Brighton, The George Inn has been in her family for sixty years. Despite vowing never to run the pub that she grew up in, Emily has been in charge since 2005 and has seen many plaudits and reviews. The reaction to articles in the national press is immediate as Emily says: “We usually hear about them when customers arrive clutching the articles. It makes a big difference to our business and can be a real boost.”

Marston’s supports Pub is The HubMarston’s PLC, the UK’s leading independent and pub retailing business, has increased its community investment by providing a donation of £10,000 to Pub is the Hub, the not-for-profit rural pubs organisation, for its Community Services Fund.

Amanda Bridges, keyholder supervisor from the Moorhen in Peterborough, chats to . She celebrates five years at the Marston’s Heritage venue

Q What’s your job like?I’m a keyholder

supervisor and I have a great deal more responsibilities than when I first started at the pub. I manage beer deliveries, ensure cash is deposited into the safe, and open and close when the managers are off. I’ll also help sort out staff hours and deal with any email enquiries regarding the pub.

Q hoW has your role changed?

Marston’s has given me the opportunity to progress within the company over the years. It has different programmes in place so that you’re able to succeed. In the five years that I’ve been here, I made

the leap from a sales and service team member to keyholder and I’m now a keyholder supervisor.

QWhat Works for you at the pub?

I meet and greet new people on a daily basis, which I absolutely love. The hours are also great for me as I have two kids who are both at school and am able to work around this.

QWhat makes up a good typical day?

Having a steady flow of customers throughout the day and knowing that when they leave they are happy with the food and service they have received from the Moorhen.

Qfavourite memories? I recall one situation

when I was working an evening shift. We had a large party booking and the family was so happy with the service and food they received that a few days later the lady came back in with a box of chocolates and a thank you card for me. That made me smile loads.

Above: Tom Walmsley, bar manager and Emily Brighton, licensee at The George Inn. Inset l-R:

John Longden, CEO of Pub is the Hub with and Ralph Findlay, CEO of Marston’s outside The George Inn.

NATIONAl RECOgNITION FOR lEAsED PUB

HigH Five

A new scheme giving recognition to long servers at Marston’s began in October 2013. Team members working at the company for five, 10, 15, 20 or 30+ years, will be rewarded.

Live music helps King’s Head earn regional recognition

Charity RegimentAleThe King’s Head is selling Lillingston’s RegimentAle in honour of 3rd Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Staffords), the origins of which were founded at the pub in 1705 by Luke Lillingston.

10p from the sale of every pint of lillingston’s will be donated to the Combat stress Appeal – the UK’s leading charity that specialises in the treatment and support of British Armed Forces Veterans who have mental health problems.

With its mix of home cooked traditional pub grub, a selection of real ales and its live entertainment, lichfield’s oldest pub, The King’s Head, continues to go from strength to strength.

Husband and wife licensees, John and Deborah Rackham, continue to make their town centre venue a must-visit for Lichfield locals and visitors alike.

The couple have been in charge at The King’s Head for eight years and in

that time they have certainly rung the changes to have the pub dancing to their beat. Live entertainment takes centre stage at the venue with music the main attraction for customers. Bands feature on Saturday nights and there are open mic nights on Fridays too.

John explained: “We cater for all music tastes and have become such a draw on Saturday nights that we don’t have to worry about advertising events, aside from putting up a gig list on Facebook.

“We have something going on every night of the week, from a folk club who meet here to do renditions of sea shanties to our blues and jazz afternoons.”

The music has been such a crowd-pleaser that it has helped the pub to earn a series of gongs, with the latest being a Highly Commended placing for ‘Best Pub’ at the first Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism Awards. Theses awards celebrate standout companies in the Staffordshire region with winners including the likes of Drayton Manor Theme Park and Alton Towers Resort.

February 2014 7

John continued: “I’ve been in the booze industry since I was in my early twenties, I’m 69 now. I’ve seen massive changes take place, but can pleasingly say that I’m still enjoying it.

“It’s great to earn the accolades, as it shows we are doing something right. In 2012 we were named as one of Marston’s Pub of the Year Award winners. The recent Tourism Awards were especially pleasing as the votes were cast by the general public – it

wasn’t a case of us entering an award.

“It was a bit of a risk to introduce ‘live music’ when we did. Not many venues were doing it and more seemed content with only DJ’s. However, it’s working for us really well and what we see today are that more pubs in the area are trying to copy our live entertainment offer. We knew that to make a town centre venue work we had to put on entertainment that would captivate people and keep them coming back time and time again.”

hobgoblin will be flying the flag for cask ale this year with a view to making the UK population savour the taste of real beer.

This February sees the launch of Hobgoblin’s ‘Bringing Taste to the Nation’ tour taking in six UK cities over the course of five weeks. A fully-kitted out Hobgoblin sampling van will make a variety of pit stops throughout the country with consumers invited to hop on board for the ultimate

Hobgoblin experience.labels on bottles of Hobgoblin and

merchandise in pubs will help to promote

the ‘Bringing Taste to the Nation’ campaign.

Details encourage fans to

post their own video reviews online of the legendary ruby red ale. submitting a review puts the consumer in with a chance of winning beer for a year. submission categories include ‘best individual’, ‘finest group’ and ‘most legendary location’.

Detailed information on the campaign is available on www.wychwood.co .uk/bttn. Fans can upload their reviews in advance of the tour via the web page, Hobgoblin’s ‘Unleashed’ mobile app and Facebook page: Hobgoblin Beer.

Chris Keating, marketing

manager for Wychwood, said: “What we’ve seen in the industry over the past few years in regards to cask ale consumption is really quite staggering. However, it’s important that we don’t simply rest on our laurels. For many drinkers cask ale still isn’t at the forefront of their minds – we want to change that.

“This tour is set to educate, inform and excite consumers in the UK about cask ale.”

Hobgoblin set to bringTaste to the NationHobgoblin set to bringTaste to the Nation

The ‘Hobgoblin Bringing Taste to the Nation’ roadshow will visit the following cities: Friday 7th February Wolverhampton, Banks’s Brewery/Birmingham, Victoria Square Saturday 15th February Hull, Queen Victoria Square Saturday 22nd February Liverpool, Williamson Square Saturday 1st March Bristol, Central Promenade Saturday 8th March Southampton, Marlands Shopping Area

6 February 2014

Top of the popsExPLORE MORE WITH JEnnInGSJennings is delighted to announce that 2014 is going to be another action packed year full of a fantastic array of prizes.

Due to its success in 2013, Explore Galore returns online for another 52 weeks on www.jenningsbrewery.co.uk/explore.

Last year Jennings had over 2000 lucky winners with almost 2.5 million virtual pints pulled throughout the year. 26,000 people in total registered to play the game.

Sarah Grave, Assistant Brand Manager for Jennings, said: “The 2014 competition has already kicked off fantastically. After only day three there were almost 27,000 virtual pints pulled, which is treble to

that at the same time last year!” Fans of Jennings are also in for a treat ‘in the pub’

in March. The brewery has teamed up with a Cumbrian sports retailer to give away 31 pairs of Asics trainers. A pair will be given away every single day. POS kits are available for participating pubs to help inform customers of this daily prize giveaway.

A pint at thelocal paysthe mortgageBanks’s Brewery crowned Andy Hicks from Telford the lucky winner of its ‘Win One Month’s Mortgage’ competition.

The competition, part of the Banks’s ‘It’s in our nature’ campaign’, carried on the trend of the brand offering giveaways in the local community.

Andy won £608 towards his monthly mortgage payment. He was chosen out of nearly 17,000 applicants who applied online and by text, with 200 runners up receiving limited edition T-shirts.

Competition organiser Tom Lenihan said “We were pleasantly surprised by the high volume of entries we received and would like to congratulate Andy on his win.”

Take a gander at www.bankssbeer.co.uk for details on the next consumer giveaway – the chance to win over £1,200 – the equivalent of the average annual energy bill.

8 February 2014

The new ‘live a life of Pedigree’ campaign urges fans to dig out their old photos so they can be a part of the advertising campaign themselves.

The campaign celebrates the idea that people grow up but never change. They retain the same values, friendships and moral code that they have lived by, in spite of the changing years.

As part of the drive for the iconic brand, Marston’s Pedigree wants to feature real people in its adverts and are asking them to find old photographs that they can try to recreate now; featuring the same people, in the same poses.

The ‘now and then’ photos show how people may have grown up and grown older, but still retained the very essence of their character, interests and friendships.

Gaynor Green, marketing manager for Marston’s commented: “We hope Pedigree will inspire people to dig out photos and remind them that they’re still the same person they always were.

“We’ll use social media to encourage Pedigree fans to relive those fun moments in their lives. So go on, get the old photo albums out and see what fun you can have recreating pictures from years gone by!”

marstonspedigree

@marstonpedigree

gET APPYPedigree has developed a ‘Live a Life of Pedigree’ app for iPhone/Android to make recreating your images easy and fun. You can use an old photo from your phone (or take a picture of one so it appears in your photo library) and then the app will

create a faint copy of it to help you get everyone in the right position when recreating the image.

If you then share your Life-o-graph on the Pedigree Gallery, Twitter and Facebook you can win prizes!

Submit your old and new photos to: www.pedigreegallery.co.uk/friendsandfamily

Anne-Marie Brennan, company secretary, and her family on the sofa in the lake District.

Amelia Cree, marketing services manager, Hannah Cree, drinks category manager, and their friend laura Houlton, tele-account management executive, recreate a birthday from 1992.

genevieve Upton, shift brewer, in the snow in 1997 and again a few years later.

CHECK OUT sOME MARsTON’s FACEs, THEN AND NOW!