Magnify Marketing

NEWS
 
Four pub operators are launch members of the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). Eat, Sleep & Drink’s Felin Fach Griffin and Gurnard’s Head, owned by the Inkin brothers, Geetie Singh’s Duke of Cambridge in Islington and the Thomas Cubbitt in London’s Belgravia, are among the 85 members of the not-for-profit SRA. morningadvertiser.co.uk
 
Graduates struggling to find a job in traditional professions such as accountancy, banking and the media are being encouraged to run a pub by Punch Taverns. For the first time the company will make 236 properties available to graduates and other entrants to the business under an innovative new tenancy agreement called the Capital Builder. M&C Report
 
Restaurant chain, Nando’s, has been chosen as the number one company to work for in the Sunday Times list of the 25 Best Big Companies (over 5,000 employees)
 
West Yorkshire brewery Saltaire scooped three awards at the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) National Beer Competition 2010, including the title of Supreme Champion Beer 2010 for its Triple Chocoholic, a 4.8% abv chocolate stout. morningadvertiser.co.uk
 
With just weeks left to contest old business rates, the Forum of Small Business (FSB) is urging firms to consider appealing. Owners of licensed premises have until the end of March to lodge an appeal against the amount they have paid in business rates over the last five years. For more information, contact the Fleurets rating expert, Michael Yass, on 020 7 280 4700 or email michael.yass@fleurets.com
 
Satellite television broadcaster, Sky, is said to be considering changing how it charges pubs for its subscription fees according to a report in The Mail on Sunday
 
Property developers Chelsfield Partners, have secured planning permission for two new luxury hotels in London, providing a further 350 bedrooms for the capital by 2012. It includes the redevelopment of the Park Lane Mews hotel in Stanhope Row, behind the Hilton on Park Lane.
 
and finally…the SNP have been accused of sending “mixed messages” after announcing a “year of food and drink”. The campaign is designed to boost tourism by attracting more overseas visitors to Scottish pubs and restaurants as well as encouraging Scots to holiday at home, that’s according to a report in the Daily Record
 
 
Site of the week
 
If someone had told me a while back that a premium bakery with an open kitchen and oven open till 10pm would work in central London I would have been amazed!  Well their is and it works fantastically.
 
Called Princi, its genuine italian authenticity brings a real bit of style and occasion to a cup of coffee and a cake.
 
Serving much more in an environment that alot of bars would aspire to, it is well worth a visit.
 
http://www.princi.co.uk/
 
 
Have you been to one? – let me know what you think on my blog or face book pages on our website www.magnifymarketing.co.uk

NEWS

Former Caledonian Brewing director Martin Kellaway and former Tetley head brewer Ian Smith have teamed up to open their own brewery – the WharfeBank Brewery. morningadvertiser.co.uk

According to the M&C Report, the Orchid Group has revealed ambitions to reach an estate of 500 pubs and plans to double its Bar Room Bar portfolio.

The first sites of the proposed 60-strong pub restaurant expansion by Whitbread have been unveiled. The company will be opening two new-build Table Table restaurants in Barnsley and York in April. morningadvertiser.co.uk

The Donnington Brewery in Stow-on-the-Wold has been named the UK’s “Brewery of the Year” by the 2010 edition of the Good Pub Guide. thepublican.com

Jamie Oliver has announced that he is to expand his high street restaurant chain Jamie’s Italian with a new outlet planned for Bristol in 2011. caterersearch.com

According to the Mail on Sunday, Sky is said to want to link up with the BBC and ITV to offer the World Cup in 3D.

Abode Hotels, the firm founded by Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines and greetings card entrepreneur Andrew Brownsword, is to double its property portfolio according to a report on caterersearch.com

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts have announced the opening of a new 120-bedroom hotel in Windsor on the site of the former Caley’s department store. caterersearch.com

and finally…a Liverpool pub that has an original Banksy mural on its outer wall (a 30-foot gun-toting rat) has sold at auction for £34,000 above the guide price of £114,000

Site of the week

The popularity of steaks continues – and one of the groups leading the the charge is a concept called Cote.

French in style, venues have a feeling of quality and deliver great value for money. They have one a number of awards – go and eat in one and you can see why!

Have been to one? – let me know what you think on my blog or face book pages on our website www.magnifymarketing.co.uk

http://www.magnifymarketing.co.uk

The El Bulli restaurant, in the town of Roses, north of Barcelona, winner of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards a record five times, is to close for good, according to The Independent on Sunday

The ‘celebrity’ London members’ club, Paramount, has struck a deal with creditors to stave off administration. The club, whose shareholders include Graham Norton and Stephen Fry, narrowly avoided collapse by wiping out 70% of its £1.4m debt after creditors agreed to a company voluntary arrangement (CVA). The Sunday Times

JD Wetherspoon is backing plans to move the UK into the Continental time zone – in the hope that longer, lighter evenings will encourage increased trade. Mail on Sunday

According to the M&C Report, James Horler, the former chief executive of La Tasca, has thrown his hat in the ring to buy the tapas casual dining business after news broke that a formal sale process is to be launched.

The High Court has rejected PPL’s attempt to block payback of music charges. Subsequently, pubs across Britain are to share £20m in refunds following the ruling. The Publican

Violent crime has been cut by almost 50% across two Lancashire towns over the past four years thanks to a local Pubwatch scheme. morningadvertiser.com

Albert Roux who last year launched brasserie concept Chez Roux at luxury hotel Rocpool Reserve in Inverness, has signed deals to launch two more restaurants at Scottish hotels, the first of the two new Chez Roux restaurants will launch at the Inver Lodge hotel above Lochinver in Sutherland. caterersearch.com

and finally…moneysupermarket.com the price comparison website, wants to hear from pubs about special offers in order to promote them to customers in the local area. The website has introduced a ‘voucher search’ facility and now plans to expand the free service to local entertainment venues.

Site of the week

This week I wanted to highlight a pub concept created by M&B which are appearing in affluent parts of Surrey.

Everyone often says that the big guns cannot create a quality concept but the regular queue for a table tells a different story. A pub for the time it offers a quality restaurant experience but never tries to be overly “gastro”. Price wise everyone feels comfortable but you always spend more than you planned!

They have created the image of an experienced independent operator – and it works!

http://www.thearklemanor.co.uk/

Wentworth MP and Minister for Housing and Planning, John Healey, has reportedly been handed his dream job in government – Minister for Pubs. Press over the weekend suggested that Healey had been appointed to aid the UK’s 53,000 recession hit pubs. M&C Report

According to a survey conducted by the Sunday Mirror, pubs are charging up to 60p more for a soft drink than a pint of beer. The survey revealed that a pint of standard bitter is cheaper than an equivalent amount of non-alcoholic drink such as cola and lemonade in almost half of Britain’s pubs.

Guy Ritchie is opening a British pub in New York in a move that will help him to maintain ties with his children. It is thought that Ritchie will recreate his London pub, The Punch Bowl, in New York’s Tribeca area. Mail On Sunday

The UK could be in line for its most blistering economic recovery in almost 40 years, according to an authoritative measure from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The Daily Telegraph

According to a survey conducted by British Beer & Pub Association the tide is turning on the rate of pub closures. The latest figures showed that closures were down to 39 a week, having peaked at 52.

The Capital Pub Company has reported an improved trading performance against last year as the London market remains buoyant. The announcement came as the operator confirmed the acquisition of two pubs: the Havelock Tavern in Brook Green, W14 and the Uplands in East Dulwich. morningadvertiser.com

The latest figures from figures from hospitality research company STR Global, revealed that hotel revenue per available room rose by 5.8% in London but fell by 7.8% across the regions in the week ending 16 January 2010. caterersearch.com

…and finally. We were amazed to get an email this morning informing us that as a previous victim of an internet based scam, we’re eligible for a share of $8m compensation. All we need to do is send our bank details to the company handling the claims. We’ll let you know how we get on.

NEWS

British Pub Week 2010 has been launched. Previously known as National Pub Week, the event will take place between the 30th October and 6th November 2010.The week aims to promote and celebrate all that is good about the Great British Pub.

Figures released by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) reveals that the market is showing small signs of recovery. Its Quarterly Beer Barometer shows that while sales are still declining, the rate of fall has dropped. For the last three months of 2009 sales were down 3.6 per cent – the lowest fourth quarter fall since 2006. The Publican

Marco Pierre White opened his second pub last week. The Swan Inn, in Aughton, Lancashire, is the first venue to open under the partnership of White and Sanguine Hospitality. morningadvertiser.co.uk

Jamie Oliver is expanding his high street restaurant chain, Jamie’s Italian, with four new sites set to open in as many months. caterersearch.com

Marston’s has announced that it is on track to fulfill its target of building and opening 15 new food-led pubs in the current financial year. The Publican

According to the latest HotStats survey from TRI Hospitality Consulting, London hotels enjoyed a strong boost to profitability during December 2009. The gross operating profit per available room (GOPpar) grew by 23% as a result of cost-cutting strategies, combined with a growth in revenue. caterersearch.com

Whitbread has told investors and City analysts that it plans to open 60 pub restaurants and expand its room stock by 13,300 rooms to 55,000 rooms in the next four years. M&C Report

and finally…we thank the Morning Advertiser for this week’s gem, as they reported on JD Wetherspoon founder, Tim Martin’s take on the issue of under-age drinking. He argues that “our nation’s pubs are the instruments of imperial hypocrisy.” Adding: “For example, at a round table on binge drinking at the Guardian newspaper last year, all the participants agreed that they started using pubs before 18, at an average age of about 15, with the ‘winner’ being the Government minister at 13, beating Mrs Hazel Blears by a narrow margin.”

Site of the week

Whilst up in Leeds last week I visited a great neighbourhood bar called Kobe in Horsforth.

If I did not have a window seat I could well imagine this quality of venue would be in a prime location in a leading city.

Attention to detail every every area and staff that serve you because they are passionate about their jobs and clearly enjoy being at work (unlike Cafe Nero – please see blog at the Magnify Marketing website)

Bars this good are a rare fine and for a neigbourhood venue it sets new levels

http://www.arcinspirations.com/kobe/

Customers like to know what is going on, especially if there is a deal to be had, but more often than not we miss an opportunity to tell them. It happens for a variety of reasons, but costs you money which would be much better served in your till!

Customers like to have regular changes and offers rotating to keep them interested – can you imagine shops on the high street never changing their windows!

Quite often we put the failure of an offer down to poor artwork or lack of customer interest but did they really know it was on? We all see on average between 2-3000 adverts a day, so how do you make sure they see yours?

The rough rule of thumb is that your customer needs to see your offer 3 times to be aware of it. So how do we make sure that happens?

Best place to start is standing outside your venue and seeing what your customer sees, what are they told when they walk past? If they are in a car is your signage big enough to read as you go past at 30 mph?

Messages also need where possible to be relevant to the time of day – most people do not change their A-boards but how can you want to send the same message to someone at lunchtime as you do in the evening? I know of a site in Covent Garden that changes its a-boards regularly throughout the day to make sure they are adjusting to the weather and the moods of the tourists! This might seem a bit excessive but think as your customer and what do they want to be told about and when (lunch and evening messages).

As you walk through your venue see how many messages you see and how often. The customer corridor as it is called in marketing terms shows what people see on their way to the bar to order.

Try to shoe horn in too many messages on your posters and the impact gets really diluted – Ideally the few the better so it’s clear what you want to offer.

Are your poster frames where people can see them or convinient spaces to put them? If they are tucked away you might as well not bother.

Also try not to conflict your offers – make sure you have a beer, spirits and wine one where applicable, four beer offers is only appealing to one segment of customer base.

As food becomes more and more increasingly important shout out to customers if you use local produce or if it’s organic as these are the sort of things your customer wants to know about.

Also think about the type of customers you have and what they want and aim the product mix around them. It’s not always about aggressive discounting, value for money is just as important.

If you have a large venue move your posters around – in bigger venues some people may never see offers if they stand in the same spot. It costs nothing but makes another impact to your communication efforts.

Table clutter is not only expensive at the printers but often ends up wet and on the floor. Your customers need information on the table but make sure you limit the amount of information – to much is ignored as is too little.

Ideally give some thought to the size of your menus so that they ideally can fit together minimizing space and looking neater.

Your back bars is the last point your customer has to make a decision so make sure that they are uncluttered and focused on the brands you have been making them aware of . This is your prime retail space that needs to deliver from an operational perspective as well as a marketing one. This is your final chance to remind your customers of what offers are available before they make a final decision on a purchase.

By having fewer offers it’s easier for your staff to both remember them and make your customers aware of them. Being realistic if you run a busy venue on a Friday night your staff are not in a position to upsell so easily as often it’s about speed of service during these critical hours, however if a customer has been in earlier in the week and has been told of an offer they are much more likely to be aware of it.

Your staff is your best sales tool and is often under used. Again it costs nothing to do, although quite often an incentive will help!

All of the above are great but in today’s market your have to go beyond your own front door to get your messages out their.

The web is an essential business tool for every pub and bar these days. You would be amazed at how many people now go online to find out about your venue. Put your own business into Google and see what comes up, is what you want them to see? Better still put your competitors in and see what the response is for them.

Websites do not have to be all singing and dancing, but clean and practical so people can see what you are like, what they can get and how do they find you. If you have a website also make sure your site is easy to change so that you do not have Christmas showing in February which makes you look unprofessional.

Databases work in tandem with your website and allow you to remind your customers what you have coming up and what is available. Once a month is usually enough to keep your venue at the forefront of your customers mind and ensure repeat visit.

To build your databases contact local businesses and get their email addresses, your not selling double glazing so most people are genuinely quite interested in what you have to say.

Business card draws as well remain a simple and effective way to get your customers information.

Finally the chances are your customer also uses other local businesses to you, shops, hairdressers and gyms and are often up for partnership deals. It gets your information in the hands of people who may not know what you are all about!

Good communication is key to any business so make sure you are doing all you can.

Fit for business
1) Make sure your signage is clear to read – either from a distant or in darker areas.
2) Keep your offers simple and not conflicting with each other
3) Make sure you can see your messages at least 3 times
4) Where possible change your messages at the time where they are most in demand
5) Offers is not about being cheap, added value like local produce can drive as much sales
6) Make sure your presence on the web is what you would want to see
7) Work with local businesses and share exposure to get better awareness and value out of your marketing efforts.

Magnify Marketing
Magnify Marketing is run by Paul Filler, a marketing communications company that specializes in the hospitality industry.

For more details visit www.magnifymarketing.com