Comments (1)

By Matt Furnell, 15/04/2010 4:51 pm

Greene King Pub Partners commissioned Oxford Brookes University to carry out research into their Go for Growth mandatory induction programme for new licensees.  The training course is compulsory before licensees get the keys to their pub and results show it’s an enormous success.

96% plan for the growth of their business rather than just working in it
96% review customer care as part of their ongoing strategy
96% developed and managed their staff more effectively

Speaking about the results, director of recruitment and training, Caroline Hollings said, “We developed this course for all new licensees on the back of our BII NITA Supreme Award training course, Go for Growth.  Many in the industry didn’t believe it when we said all our licensees irrelevant of their experience had to attend the course before they got the keys to one of our valuable assets.  Even some licensees were shocked but all of them get so much from the training when they attend and we know that they’re fully prepared for taking on such an important business and making a profit.  These results show that this training is right, relevant and un-mistakenly an asset to all licensees going into a Greene King pub”.

Prasong Suppadungchon, licensee of the Old Tom in Oxford took over his pub from a restaurant background, since attending the course he has increased gross profits by 50% and reduced operating profits by 10%, he says, “The course totally boosted my confidence, it focused my attention – I was so busy running the business and making it a nice place for my customers I completely forgot about profit”.

After attending the second day six months later he added, “I would definitely recommend this course to others, it makes you focus on what’s important to the business and spend time planning the way forward”.

Another attendee is Vernon Blackmore of the Anchor pub in Woodbridge.  Vernon was a chef but had never run a pub before.  Since taking on the Anchor and attending Go for Growth Induction he has seen turnover trebling, saved £2k on bank charges and improved wage percentage by 5%.  He said of the course, “It showed me a lot we were doing was right, but it also exposed some things we weren’t so good at.  It made me more confident about the business and gave me clarity of vision on how I want to take things forward”.

Adam Rainford licensee of the Welcome Inn, Eastleigh adds, “The course made me look at the bigger picture – I used to spend one hour after service thinking about the business which wasn’t quality time as I felt burnt out.  I now spend two uninterrupted hours a day”.

Other licensees have also achieved real financial success following the course with Dee and Tommy Takacs from the White Hart in Fulbourn seeing turnover double in nine months and Nigel and Gail Woodley of the Golden Ball in Littlemore having turnover increase by £3,500 per week and nearly £4,500 on costs saved in a year.

Concluding Hollings says, “It’s vital in this industry that you retain the good quality licensees you have and you can only achieve that by giving them the best start.  With Go for Growth we know that everyone will have the right level of skills to operate what is a very cash driven business but also the best platform to build it in the long term.  It’s our duty to do that but also absolute business sense”.

Ends

Press Contact: Elaine Beckett, Public Relations Manager, Greene King Pub Partners, Tel: 07974 132844

Comments (0)

By Matt Furnell, 07/10/2009 9:46 am

A selection of Pub Partners pubs have been chosen to be exclusive members of the new Head Brewer’s Club, a collection of Greene King’s hero cask ale pubs.

Following a rigorous selection process, three hundred out of the 1400 strong estate were picked by the Bury St Edmunds brewers as worthy of the accolade for their dedication to great cask beer.

Greene King head brewer John Bexon says: “Cask beer is a fresh, natural product, produced with wholesome ingredients. You can’t buy it in the supermarket, it is available only in the pub because it’s fresh. The landlord or landlady finishes off the brewing process in the pub cellar and it is their efforts that determine the quality of beer served to the customer. When served in great condition, cask ale is the best drink in the world and I want to pay tribute to these licensees who do it really well. 

“Membership of the Head Brewer’s Club means the guarantee of a great pint and top notch service. The Head Brewer’s plaque of honour will indicate the high standards you can expect at these pubs.   Hearty congratulations to all those that have been chosen and on their achievement”.

David Elliott, managing director for Greene King Pub Partners said, “There is a real enthusiasm for cask beer, so now is the time to try it if you aren’t already an avid fan.  We encourage all our pubs to promote and offer quality cask ale and it’s great that these particular pubs have been recognized for their passion and commitment for a great British pint in a Great British pub”.

Members of the Head Brewer’s Club include an assortment of tenanted and leased pubs from historic country inns to thriving community locals.  For more details about the ‘Head Brewer’s Club,’ an insight into a day in the life of a head brewer and details of other member pubs in the area, please visit www.headbrewersclub.co.uk.

Media contacts:

For more information or images, please contact Elaine Beckett on 07974 132844

Comments (0)

By Matt Furnell, 02/10/2009 2:57 pm

The Cock Inn in Gamlingay hosted its very own Proms in the Pub this weekend and handed over a cheque of £5,000 to Milton’s Children’s Hospice as part of the event.  The total raised so far by the pub comes to £32,000 with all the money going to Milton Children’s Hospice.

A 26 foot square screen broadcast the Proms live from the Albert Hall to a crowd of 450 at the pub.  All dressed to thrill in British Regalia, the Proms saw the crowds singing and waving flags as if they were at the real thing.

Speaking about the event, licensees of the Greene King pub Martin and Vanessa Roberts said, “This is a great way to bring the community together for a fun event and raise lots of money for charity in the process.  We’re a community pub and we want all our customers to know when they visit the Cock Inn they have a warm welcome and a good time, the Proms in the Pub certainly proved that”.

Regional Manager for Greene King, Richard Cobb said, “Pubs are vital and licensees who are able to bring all age groups together to mix and get together are worth their weight in gold.  Martin and Vanessa are great licensees and run a pub which is central to the community and this just shows in the event that took place this weekend.  We’re always keen to meet people just like them for our pubs”.

Comments (0)

By admin, 30/09/2009 4:23 pm

I read recently that there’s a new breed of women set to turn us on our tails. SWAGS — Sassy, Wise and Grown Up — representing the 35 to 45 age, really settled and happy in their lifestyle and, as such, knowing exactly what they want.

So to the best bit of consumer research I’d ever asked to be undertaken.  Greene King Pub Partners PR Manager, my PA, our Recruitment and Training Manager and many more of Greene King’s own SWAGS were only too eager to give some honest feedback on what they were looking for.

Large elegant wine glasses and good wine at a reasonable price topped the asks, along with clean toilets with toilet paper!  Unsurprisingly light flavoursome salads were orders of the day along with calorific chocolate covered desserts – two extremes for the SWAGS.  Good coffee was an absolute necessity and why couldn’t they have the weekly glossy magazines as well as the daily papers on offer to read in pubs?

From this very informal research I wonder if our industry is meeting the needs of these women.  Maybe, as according to the research they were the most content of their sex and don’t need more but in all honesty – are we missing a trick?  So the team at Greene King underwent a small experiment, could a pub visit make these ladies even happier with their lot?

Greene King’s own SWAGS got the chance to see, along with their friends who weren’t in on the bit of research.  A visit to one of our very own pub sites near Bury St Edmunds, each SWAG was asked when ordering:

Did they want their drink served in a larger than life glass or a standard wine glass – 100% said yes to the larger glass.

When ordering wine, all wines were shown as the same price and all the women ordered by taste and grape choosing one of the more expensive – these women know their wine and what they like, so quality appears to be key.

 How many picked up the glossy magazines innocently strewn around – every party had a look and the subsequent conversation flowed within the groups.

 And after their visit to the ladies which had the added luxuries solely required by the female market e.g. perfume, hand cream and tissues as well as toilet roll!  Every party commented on the extras and standards!

So in conclusion, our own research showed pubs can make SWAGS even happier than they already appear to be.  Some simple added elements to a pub’s offer and you’ve got SWAGS as key customers.

This also applies in the SWAGS running Greene King pubs, whether they’re part of a couple or as single operators, women know what women want and their influence on the business shows.  So we not only want more SWAGS as customers we want more SWAGS behind the bar.  Come on ladies…

Article by David Elliott  Managing Director of Greene King Pub Partners

Comments (0)

By Elaine Beckett, 25/09/2009 11:26 am

New landlords, Jim and Tracy have brought back to life the Stanhope Arms pub in Brasted near Westerham, making it the centre of the village once again.

Closed for over six months, the pub has been redecorated throughout with a brand new kitchen installed so a traditional English home cooked menu can be introduced.

Speaking about their new venture, Jim said, “So many pubs have gone stale and this is what happened to the Stanhope Arms.  We’ve changed that and have re-created an old fashioned family pub with locals’ bar and separate dining, restaurant area.  A pub should be the centre of its community and we aim to make the Stanhope that again”.

 egional manager for Greene King Mike O’Connor said, “It’s brilliant what Jim and Tracy have done to the pub. It is now certainly back on the map and a welcome addition to the village again”.

Jim and Tracy have installed new furniture and soft furnishings within the pub as well as redecorating throughout.  They are soon to begin on the exterior.  Home cooked food is being introduced and will be served all week.

 Ends

Press Contact: Elaine Beckett, Public Relations Manager, Greene King Pub Partners, Tel: 07974 132844

Comments (0)

By Matt Furnell,

Local entrepreneurs, Shane and Zoe Murphy will open their second Greene King pub in three months, The Swan in Long Melford on the 2^nd October.  The couple who also refurbished and re-opened the Angel in Sudbury in August have done the same with Swan, fully renovating the site themselves and creating an upmarket pub with food.

 Previous careers in golf course management and IT, the couple have taken their expertise and created much needed individual pubs with a contemporary design used to uplift the original features of both these historic properties. 

 Zoe says, “We have created a concept which will appeal to everyone who is looking for great food and service in a modern yet cosy environment.  Both the Swan and the Angel are places you can feel comfortable to meet friends, spend an occasion with your family or enjoy an intimate meal.  Our menus use all locally sourced supplies and all dishes are home cooked on the premises by our chef, Jarred Harris.

 Adding, “All you here about these days is pubs closing, and not about the investment that is going into so many.  You have to look at the area and what is needed and then have the courage to create it and I know Shane and I have worked hard to do that bringing these traditional pubs back to life.  We’re certainly looking forward to welcoming customers to the Swan and know they’ll enjoy it as much as the Angel in Sudbury”.

 Operations director for Greene King, Clive Chesser said, “Zoe and Shane are excellent examples of people who can breathe life into pubs.  Their passion and skills have created two brilliant venues in Suffolk which I’m sure will appeal to people far and wide.  More people with enthusiasm and vision like them are needed to run pubs today”.

The Swan opens to the public on Friday 2^nd October following a six week refurbishment which includes a new large heated patio area to the rear, new toilets, redecorated and modernised bar and dining area.  Plans are already in place to create boutique style en suite guests rooms at the Swan for the Spring.

 Ends

 Pub Contact: Zoe Murphy, Tel: 07918749845

Press Contact: Elaine Beckett, Public Relations Manager, Greene King Pub Partners, Tel: 07974 132844

Comments (1)

By Elaine Beckett, 24/09/2009 4:33 pm

Renowned multiple licensee Ted Docherty has got another “pizza the action” by taking on his third pub with Greene King Pub Partners under his tailor made concept.

Ted already runs four successful food pubs, two with Greene King and is now launching the Kings Arms in Litton near Bath under the tailor made pizzas and tailor made fish banners.

Speaking about his new venture Ted says, “Our concept works because people have their favourite foods and what tailor made invites them to do is build their own dish just the way they like it, so you choose a pizza base and the rest is up to you. If you want plain cheese and tomato or sausage, squid and pineapple you can have it. The same goes for the fish dishes, choose the fillet, the size and weight, how you want it cooking and away you go. Our fresh counters display the food customers can choose to eat – they make the decisions not a faceless chef”

Ted first brought his tailor made steak and burger concept to the area at the Warwick Arms in Clutton only last year following his success at the Greene King pub, the Percy Arms in Guildford.

Adding he said, “It’s all about satisfying the customer and not keeping to a rigid menu. Customers are being far more adventurous these days and so tailor made enables them to create something different or just enjoy one of their old favourites. The result is, everyone’s happy”.

Operations director for Greene King, Steve Worrall said, “It’s brilliant to be able to work with Ted on another pub. His passion for food and customers makes every venue he opens worth a visit and we’re extremely happy that his new site is from our quality pub estate”.

The Kings Arms opens on Monday 8th June and there’s 50% off every meal for the whole of June.

Ends

Press Contact: Elaine Beckett, Public Relations Manager, Greene King Pub Partners, Tel: 07974 132844

Pub Contact: Ted Docherty, Tel: 07748 305052, http://www.tmsteaks.co.uk/

Comments (0)

By Matt Furnell, 22/09/2009 4:05 pm

All the latest news about how to start running a Greene King pub