Many pubs benefit from local themed events to bring customers in and sell more food and drink.
If you’re running a St George’s Day event, or generally acknowledging the Patron Saint of England, you could offer a patriotic ale – George & the Flagon – to add to the atmosphere and accompany your food menu.
When you order a Spring Break firkin or pin, you will get both a Spring Break and a George & the Flagon pump clip – it’s your choice which pump clip you want to use. You could even use both, with George & the Flagon running for a short time period around 23rd April.
Same great beer, but with two badging options!
BEERS, LAGERS AND CIDERS
Deal 1 Greene King Premium Craft Install Deal p4
Deal 2
Deal 3
MARCH & APRIL PROMOTIONS
Install a brand from the Greene King Premium Craft range and get 2 Kegs and POS kit Free.
Belhaven Best Install Deal p10
Install Belhaven Best and get 1 Keg and POS kit Free.
Maltsmiths Install Deal p12
Install Maltsmiths and get 50LKeg and POS kit Free.
Deal 4 Greene King Packaged Deal p14
Buy 3 cases of Greene King bottles or cans and get 1 case Free.
Deal 5 Estrella Galicia Install Deal p18
Install Estrella Galicia and get a 50L Keg, branded glassware and blankets Free.
Deal 6 Estrella Galicia 2+1 Packaged Deal p18
Buy 2 cases of Estrella Galicia 4.7% or Gluten Free 5.5% and get 1 case of Estrella Galicia 0.0% Free.
Deal 7 Greene King Premium Craft 2for1 POS Deal p24 2 for 1 ROS-driving kit available.
Deal 8 Greene King Premium Garden POS Deal p25
Buy 10 or more kegs from the Premium beers range and qualify for beer garden equipment.
Deal 9 Molson Coors 3+1 Premium Keg Deal p26
Buy any 3 kegs from the Premium range and get a case of Coors Free. 1 per customer
Deal 10 Carling Local Legends Competition p28
Win a Carling Local Legends Evening - Buy a keg of Carling to win a chance for an ex footballer to attend an evening with you at your pub (T&C’s apply).
Deal 11 BBG 4+1 Packaged Deal p30
Buy any 4 cases from across the BBG Beer Packaged range and get 1 case of Corona Cero Free. 2 per customer
Deal 12 Asahi & Peroni Install Deal p34
Install either Asahi Super Dry or Peroni Nastro Azzurro and receive 3x50L kegs & POS kit Free.
Deal 13 Thatchers Install Deal p38
Install any Thatchers brand and get a 50L keg Free and a chance to win a garden takeover. 1 per brand per customer
Deal 14
Kopparberg 4+1 Packaged Deal p40
Buy any 4 cases from across the Kopparberg range and receive 1 case of Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime Free. 2 per customer
Deal 15
Deal 16
Deal 17
Westons Vintage Install Deal p44
Install Henry Westons Vintage Draught and get a 50L keg and POS kit Free.
Stowford Press Install Deal p44
Install Stowford Press Apple or Stowford Press Dark Berry and get a 50L keg and POS Kit Free.
Strongbow Strawberry Install Deal p46
Install Strongbow Strawberry and get a 50L keg and POS kit Free.
WINE
Deal 18
Deal 19
Deal 20
Jack Rabbit 11+1 Deal p48
Buy 11x75cl bottles of Jack Rabbit and get 1 bottle Free.
Jack Rabbit 5+1 Deal p48
Buy 5 cases of Jack Rabbit Prosecco (200ml) and get 1 case Free.
Jack Rabbit 7+1 Deal p48
Buy 7 cases across the Jack Rabbit (187ml) range and get 1 case Free.
SPIRITS
Deal 21 Au Vodka & Monster Energy Deal p50
Buy any 6 bottles of Au Vodka and receive 2 cases of Monster Energy Free plus a prize draw to win a PS5.
Deal 22
Deal 23
Deal 24
Deal 25
Bombay Gin POS Deal p50
Buy 3x70cl bottles from the Bombay Gin range and get Bombay glassware Free. 3 per customer
Save £4.10 on Smirnoff Tamarind p51
Save £4.10 on each bottle of Smirnoff Tamarind.
Brown-Forman 2+1 Deal p52
Buy El Jimador Blanco to be in with a chance of winning one of four holiday vouchers worth £500.
Aperol 5+1 Deal p52
Buy 5x70cl bottles of Aperol and get 1 Free. 4 per customer
PRODUCT DISCOUNTS NOW AVAILABLE
Deal 26
Diageo Cocktails POS Deal p54
Buy 3x3L Pre-Batched Cocktails from across the Diageo Range and receive 2 Cocktail Shakers and 150ml Measure Free. 1 per customer
Deal 27
Deal 28
Disaronno POS deal p56
Buy 2x70cl bottles of Disaronno and receive 8 Spritz glasses Free.
Isobella Limoncello POS Deal p56
Buy 2x70cl bottles of Isobella Limoncello and get 6 Spritz glasses Free.
Deal 29 Hendricks POS Deal p58
Buy 2x70cl bottles from the Hendrick’s range and receive 6 Hendrick’s Highballs Free. 2 per customer
Deal 30
Deal 31
Disaronno Velvet POS Deal p58
Buy 2x70cl bottles of Disaronno Velvet and receive 8 shot glasses Free.
Save £2 on Jäegermeister p59
Save £2 on each bottle of Jäegermeister. 2 per customer
SOFT DRINKS
Deal 32
Deal 33
Save £2 on Fever-Tree p60
Save £2 per case across the Fever-Tree Sparkling range. 8 per customer
Save £4 on Red Bull p60
Save £4 on your first case of Red Bull Energy. 1 per customer
Deal 34 J2O 4+1 Deal p62
Buy any 4 cases from the J2O range and get 1 case of J2O Orange and Passionfruit Free.
Deal 35 Save £2 on Appletiser p64
Save £2 on each case of Appletiser 250ml cans. 6 per customer
Deal 36
Save £3 on Oasis & POS Deal p64
Save £3 on each case of Oasis 300ml cans and receive 12 Oasis glasses Free. 6 per customer
Deal 37 Belvoir 3+1 Deal p66
Buy any 3 cases from the Belvoir range and get 1 case Free. 2 per customer
Deal 38 Simply Fruity 4+1 Deal p66
Buy 4 cases from the Simply Fruity 330ml range and get 1 case Free.
MARCH & APRIL PROMOTIONS PRODUCT DISCOUNTS NOW AVAILABLE
Deal 39 Save £2.50 on Lucozade Energy p68
Save £2.50 on each case of Lucozade Energy.
Deal 40
Deal 41
Deal 42
Deal 43
Lucozade Sport 4+1 Packaged Deal p68
Buy any 4 cases ftom across the Lucozade Sport range and receive a case of Lucozade Sport Blue Force Free.
Save £3 on Coca-Cola Zero Sugar p70
Save £3 on each case of 330ml Glass Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. 6 per customer
Save £2 on Fanta & Sprite p70
Save £2 on each case of 330ml Glass Fanta or Sprite. 6 per customer
Save £1 on Schweppes Mixers p70
Save £1 on each case of Schweppes 150ml can Mixers or 200ml Glass Schweppes or Coke Mixers. 6 per customer
Deal 44 Frobishers 3+1 Packaged Deal p72
Buy 3 Cases from across the Frobishers range and get 1 case Free.
P11 Greene King News
Greene King’s new state-of-the-art brewery granted planning permission.
P15 Greene King News
Fresh Cask Releases programme sees new limited-edition ales available.
P19 Online Ordering
Building your order is easier than ever with online portal.
P20 Value Hub
New suppliers added as discounts portal keeps growing.
P22 Lead Feature Beer Gardens are the ideal way to increase footfall and sales this summer.
P29 Category Corner
Growing cask ale sales by focusing on the perfect range for your venue.
P33 Consumer Insight
A deep dive into the food trends set to shape 2025.
P36 Customer Profile: Old Generator Station
Unique community venue revitalised under new management.
P42 Customer Profile: 19th Hole
Two young publicans start out on their own journey.
P57 Meet The Team: Fiona Matheson Belhaven marketing boss in the spotlight.
P63 Range Freedom: Red Wine
Make more of red wine over the next few months.
P67 Category focus: Cider
keg beer RANGE
BUILDING UP A HEAD OF STEAM
There’s plenty to get excited about over the next couple of months as we start building momentum towards what we all hope is a fantastic summer trading period.
Key Dates:
1st March
St David’s Day
4th March
Shrove Tuesday
17th March
St Patrick’s Day
21st March
Red Nose Day
30th March
Mother’s Day
1st April
Easter Monday
18th April
Good Friday
20th April
Easter Sunday
23rd April
St George’s Day
We all know that 2025 isn’t set to be an easy year for the trade with April’s increases in wages and National Insurance Contributions set to bite hard, but there’s still plenty for us all to get excited about as we begin to build up a big head of steam in time for what we hope will be a great summer, in every sense.
We still have a little of the Six Nations rugby tournament left to help drive footfall on matchdays and the spring is also jam-packed with other great opportunities like St Patrick’s Day, Mother’s Day and, of course, Easter.
All of these seasonal events present the chance to really ramp up your marketing, particularly on social media, to try to ensure that your venue is packed to the rafters at every possible opportunity.
And when it comes to fully leveraging opportunities, there’s not much to beat a great beer garden. It’s a quick and relatively easy way to hugely increase your capacity and drive extra footfall, sales and profits. We have
some great advice inside and don’t forget that Greene King can help in various ways if you are thinking of adding a beer garden for the first time or enhancing the one you have.
We have a couple of fascinating customer profiles in this issue too, as ever, and there’s plenty to learn from them.
And, with summer on the horizon, don’t miss our feature on cider, the undisputed star of the summer show. We have everything you need to build a brilliant range that will help you maximise sales over the next few months.
I wish you all fantastic trading,
We’re always keen to listen and improve our service to you. Please take our 2-minute feedback survey to let us know how we’re doing. Just scan the QR code or visit https://forms.office.com/e/ZWxgJG5A3c Thank you!
Paul Downing On Trade Sales Director, Greene King
Customer favourites and classic beers available all year round
MARCH & APRIL 2025
RANGE
We've been crafting fine ales from our two historic breweries for over 200 years. Everything from traditional to seasonal cask ales.
SEASONAL RANGE
Keep your line-up fresh with beers for all occasions
AVAILABLE MARCH TO APRIL 2025
SPRING BREAK OR GEORGE & THE FLAGON GOLDEN ALE
GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE AN OCCASION FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS ON ST GEORGE’S DAY, 23RD APRIL
4.4% AVAILABLE APRIL TO MAY 2025
PLACE YOUR ORDER FOR SPRING BREAK AND RECEIVE BOTH CLIPS
HOPPING SPECIAL AMBER ALE
A delicious, fruity amber ale brewed from five malts for rich body and biscuity sweetness. Late hopping delivers tropical fruit, passion fruit and citrus characters.
Cask Size:
Cask Size:
£40M STATE-OF-THE-ART BREWERY GETS GREEN LIGHT
Greene King has received formal planning permission for a new £40m state-of-the-art brewery in Bury St Edmunds.
Greene King, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer, has had planning permission granted from West Suffolk Council for its new state-of-the-art brewery at Suffolk Business Park in Bury St Edmunds.
This decision will enable Greene King to proceed with its plan for the new brewery, which underlines the company’s commitment to invest in the future of cask ale and build on its rich heritage within its hometown of Bury St Edmunds, where it has had a presence for more than 200 years.
The modern facility will deliver significant
benefits in water usage and energy consumption, supporting Greene King’s near-term emissions targets. Moreover, it is also strategically located next to Greene King’s St Edmunds Distribution Centre, which is expected to bring additional synergies.
The decision taken by the council ensures that the new brewery, alongside Greene King’s pubs in the local area, will continue to provide local employment opportunities and maintain its position at the heart of the Bury St Edmunds community and economy.
Greene King’s proposals were shaped
by extensive engagement with the local community and stakeholders, with the final plans reflecting shared priorities.
Matt Starbuck, Managing Director for Brewing and Group Supply Chain at Greene King, said: “This is an important milestone in the delivery of our new brewery as we look to create the next chapter in Greene King’s history in Bury St Edmunds. We are excited to get started on building our new stateof-the-art site – which we believe will bring benefits to the local community, economy and our customers – and we will continue to work closely with local stakeholders throughout the process.”
“THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN THE DELIVERY OF OUR NEW BREWERY AS WE LOOK TO CREATE THE NEXT CHAPTER IN GREENE KING’S HISTORY IN BURY ST EDMUNDS.”
MATT STARBUCK, MD FOR BREWING AND GROUP SUPPLY CHAIN
MALTSMITHS LAGER
A golden, Pilsner style lager. Crisp, clean with pine, citrus and earthy hop notes.
KEY SELLING POINTS
More than ¾ of beer drunk in the UK is lager. *
Supported in the on trade with POS, sta t-shirts and a ROS-driving consumer scratchcard promotion.
Golden Citrus and earthy hops Pilsner style lager
TASTING NOTES HUNGRY CUSTOMERS?
O ur beer goes beautifully with a chicken burger or some spicy fajitas.
FRESH APPROACH TO ALCOHOL-FREE REQUIRED AS DRY JANUARY DUBBED ‘OUTDATED’
A
new study carried out for Greene King has found that Gen Z customers see Dry January as outdated with so many not drinking at all
but still wanting to go
to the pub.
Initiatives like Dry January have become outdated, say Gen Z customers, as one in five of the younger generation now don’t drink alcohol at all, new research from Greene King reveals.
The nationwide survey found 20% of the younger generation don’t consume any alcohol, 12% higher than the national UK average.
The research suggests that despite more than one in five (22%) UK adults taking part in Dry January this year, Gen Z now views the alcohol abstaining tradition as outdated. Many now adopt a flexible relationship with alcohol that means they see no need to cut down for just a month, as they moderate their alcohol consumption all year round.
What’s more, a third of respondents (33%) believe that the UK drinking culture is now more inclusive for nonalcohol drinkers than it was five years ago, with more than one in four (27%) stating they feel less pressured to drink – demonstrating a growing trend towards a flexi-
sober lifestyle.
UK pub culture is also evolving beyond simply being a destination to consume alcohol, with the majority of customers visiting a pub to go for a meal (64%), to meet friends (60%) or to spend time with family (46%), rather than to solely have a drink (42%).
And the changing attitude to drinking is reflected in the nation’s outlook on visiting pubs, with six in 10 Brits stating they would happily go to the pub for a non- or low-alcoholic drink, rising to two-thirds (66%) of Gen Zers.
Andrew Gallagher, Brand & Marketing Director at Greene King, said: “There’s no doubt that the UK drinking culture has seen a notable change in recent years. For today’s drinkers, the consensus is they want more options, whether that’s full strength or low/no alcohol, regardless of what month it is. Pubs are more than just a great place to enjoy a drink and are perfect for socialising with family and friends all year round, whether you’re drinking or not.”
LIMITED-EDITION FRESH CASK RELEASES SET TO DRIVE SALES
and places associated with beer, and exciting new brews.
Coming up for March and April are two limited-edition beers: Spring Break in March and April, and Hopping Special in April and May.
Spring Break is a 4.4% ABV hoppy golden ale created by apprentice brewers that delivers delicious aromas of peach, lychee and tropical fruits.
Greene King’s Fresh Cask Releases programme returns for 2025 with another exciting calendar of limitededition cask ales to help you generate interest in the category and drive footfall, sales and profit.
Not only is cask ale unique to the pub,
it accounts for 45% of all serves [CGA BrandTrack 2023], making it a key category for your bar.
The Fresh Cask Releases calendar is filled with a combination of returning favourites, brewery collaborations, beers inspired by legendary stories of people
And, with St George’s Day coming up on 23rd April, there’s even the option to choose a George & The Flagon pump clip instead. It’s the same great beer but with two pump clip options to choose from.
Available in April and May, Hopping Special is a delicious, fruity 4.2% ABV amber ale brewed from five different malts for rich body and biscuity sweetness. Late hopping delivers tropical fruit, passion fruit and citrus characters.
Don’t F get
St George’s Day
WEDNESDAY 23RD APRIL
Many pubs benefit from local themed events to bring customers in and sell more food and drink.
If you’re running a St George’s Day event, or generally acknowledging the Patron Saint of England, you could offer a patriotic ale – George & the Flagon – to add to the atmosphere and accompany your food menu.
When you order a Spring Break firkin or pin, you will get both a Spring Break and a George & the Flagon pump clip – it’s your choice which pump clip you want to use. You could even use both, with George & the Flagon running for a short time period around 23rd April.
Same great beer, but with two badging options!
Speak to your Sales Development Manager for more information.
Online Platform Features
1. Products & Range
View our full range
2. Promotions
Find all our live promotions
3. Services
Find out more about our nancial support & other services
4. Content
Find our latest news, guides and magazine
7. Value Hub
Access discounts on entertainment, services, equipment and much more
5. Invoices & Statements
Quickly download both online & phone order invoices & full statements
8. Online Cellar Learning
Find learning, best practice and support
6. Full Ordering History
Find your full ordering history inclusive of phone orders
9. Online Ordering
Build a basket over the week and check out when you are ready
If you need help with setting up your online account or have any questions on how to use the platform please contact us on 0345 850 4545 (weekdays 8:00am-4:45pm) or email us onlinesupport@greeneking.co.uk
MORE SUPPLIERS JOIN VALUE HUB!
Saving every penny of cost that you can has never been more important. And that’s exactly where Greene King’s Value Hub platform comes in. Value Hub gives Free Trade customers access to the buying power of Greene King and Belhaven to help you save thousands of pounds a year in costs.
These exclusive deals and discounts are available across a wide variety of everyday expenditures – and the list of benefits is growing by the month.
Some of the latest suppliers to join Value Hub and offer fantastic deals are TNT, Tiki Tonga and TouchTunes GO. The TNT deal offers customers 50% off monthly subscriptions as well as unlocking annual cashback kickers based on volume, offering savings of more than £4,000 a year. The TouchTunes GO deal offers a 30% discount on a transformative jukebox and background music solution. TouchTunes GO boosts engagement, extends dwell time, and drives profits. And why not consider Tiki Tonga to take your coffee offer to the next level? The brand’s end-to-end coffee solution lets customers take advantage of great discounts across coffee and coffee machines products.
Greene King’s Value Hub platform, which helps Free Trade customers save thousands of pounds, continues to grow with new suppliers joining on a regular basis. SAVE ON…ENTERTAINMENT,
SOCIAL CLUB SAVES £3,500 A YEAR WITH SOLAR PANELS
Greene King customer South Wonston Social Club in Hampshire is saving £3,500 a year with solar panels secured through Value Hub.
“OUR
£2,500 annual saving in energy costs.
£1,000 annual payment from Scottish Power for selling surplus energy back to them.
Total saving of £3,500 per year.
ELECTRICITY BILL THE PREVIOUS YEAR WAS FOR 25,000KWH. AFTER FITTING THE PANELS IT DROPPED TO 10,000KWH. THIS EQUATES TO A SAVING OF APPROXIMATELY £2,500.”
In the current challenging economic climate, it’s clearly critical for venues to cut as many costs as they can – a challenge that the proactive and progressive Committee at South Wonston Social Club in Hampshire have fully taken on board by working with Greene King to secure significant savings on their energy bills.
“We originally looked at getting solar panels back in 2018 but decided that the payback period was too long, so we did not go ahead with the idea at that time,” explains Derek Roberts, Treasurer at the Club.
“We then learned about Greene King’s Value Hub platform which gives Greene King customers access to preferential discounted rates on a wide variety of products and services through Value Hub partners.
“So we revisited the solar panels idea again and decided to progress and get quotes from C2 Renewable Solutions, a Value Hub partner.
“Then, at the management committee meeting it was agreed that we would go ahead with the C2 Renewable Solutions offer of 40 solar panels. The key reasons for progressing were:
1 The payback period quoted was four to five years which, with an expected life of 20 years plus, would give us long term financial benefits.
DEREK ROBERTS, TREASURER
2 The money we would use was sitting in our bank account, not earning any interest, so it was deemed a good use of our funds.
3 We wanted to show our commitment to our Green Credentials alongside other sections of the village who were working on sustainability projects.”
The installation of the panels was completed very efficiently and with no disruption to the club activities, says Derek.
He comments: “We checked all the major electricity supply companies and took out an export contract with Scottish Power, who pay us 12p per Kwh for the electricity we export to them.
“Our electricity bill before we installed the panels was for 25,000Kwh. After installing them it dropped to 10,000Kwh. This equates to a saving of approximately £2,500 which, when added to the £1,000 received from Scottish Power, gives us an annual saving of £3,500.
“On this basis, the payback period will be less than four years – so we are absolutely delighted and believe we made the right decision.
“I would encourage all Greene King customers to take a closer look at the savings Value Hub can deliver for them.”
OUTSIDE NOW!
With summer on the way, a beer garden
is the perfect way for venues with some outdoor space to grow their footfall, sales and profi ts.
Let’s face it, everyone loves summer. Your guests love the chance to chill out and relax with friends and family in the open air, while venues love the opportunity of big sales and profits.
One of the most effective ways of maximising the warmer summer months is through making the most of outdoor areas and beer gardens, if you are lucky enough to have them available.
They help increase the capacity of your venue and their childand family-friendly nature means everyone can get in on the fun. So it’s no surprise that consumers flock to outdoor spaces when the sunshine makes a welcome appearance.
In fact, almost a third (30%) of adults say that having a garden for the summer is a top priority when choosing a pub [OnePoll survey, 2022]. So how do you make yours stand out?
LOOKING GOOD
There are two key factors when making the most of an outdoor area: the area itself and the range of drinks and food you offer.
Creating a welcoming, friendly and Instagrammable outdoor area needn’t be expensive or time consuming. All that’s required is a little planning and effort and you could transform your beer garden into a little haven of tranquillity for your customers.
Consider getting the gardening gloves on, planting some brightly coloured flowers, adding a few flower boxes, cutting and trimming the grass and tidying up paved or pebbled areas. Go for a natural look to encourage a relaxed vibe or get bright and modern if you’re aiming for a more exotic feel.
Invest in some comfortable furniture and fixtures to make sure your customers hang around for a while and, if you feel like getting creative, why not try wheelbarrows, bean bags, benches, parasols or blackboards to make your beer garden stand out.
If you have the space, it’s also a great idea to add a bar into the beer garden to speed up service and enhance the experience for customers. You could even offer a limited (high margin, low effort) food menu outdoors to bolster spend.
Summer key drivers
CGA and Zonal research found that the key drivers for consumers choosing hospitality venues in 2023 were as follows:
1. Price (66%)
2. Location (61%)
3. Hygiene standards (41%)
4. Good customer service (39%)
It’s likely that the drivers this summer will be very similar, so it’s a great chance to check that you are ticking every box.
Beer gardens: the stats
● 40% of drinkers named beer gardens as their ‘ultimate happy place’
● The average UK pubgoer will visit a pub garden between four and five times per month in summer
● Customers’ favourite things about pub gardens during the summer are:
○ spending time there in warm weather (55%)
○ enjoying a drink (54%)
○ relaxing with friends and family (51%)
[Source: OnePoll survey of 2,000 adults].
GREENE KING CRAFT RANGE
It’s time to get
GARDEN READY
As spring unfolds and Easter approaches, it’s time to get your beer garden ready for outdoor drinking… and what better way to drive awareness of your craft range than in a welcoming area for your customers to enjoy. We have a range of outdoor equipment to help you do just that!
Speak to your Sales Development Manager about our range of parasols, café barriers, patio heaters and garden planters.
The first 35 customers to buy 10+ kegs of one brand*, will receive their choice of:
FAST AND SLOW
With a hopefully packed beer garden, there are several factors to consider when trying to satisfy every customer and maximise sales – and this is where range and speed of service are critical.
Products that are quick and easy to both prepare and serve help keep the queues down and increase the number of transactions you can push through in a given hour or day. Clearly, a great range of products is essential too.
A strong range of beers, wines, ciders and spirits will go a long way to meeting most requirements and you may want to emphasise bottled and ready-to-drink products to help achieve that aim.
But to really take sales to the next level, it makes sense to focus on some specific areas to attract a wider audience of customers and, of course, optimise profits.
SUMMER CASK
One huge opportunity is cask ale which is massively popular with many customers and will bring new customers to your venue if you stock it. Cask ale drinkers are notoriously loyal to bars that sell cask – and they are also statistically more likely to visit more often and spend more when they do.
Greene King’s extensive range of permanent cask ales offers plenty of options for you to build that loyal cask fanbase. In summer, it may make sense to focus on lighter, brighter cask ales that are perfect for a beer garden. Golden ales like Old Golden Hen and Deuchars are perfect while pale ales like Yardbird also come into their own when the sun shines.
Don’t forget too that Greene King’s Fresh Cask Releases range also offers the chance to keep mixing it up at the bar with new cask ales introduced every couple of months.
In the summer months this year, for example, the Fresh Cask Releases programme sees a range of new beers become available including Peach Cooler, Amplified Pale Ale and Radical Hoptimist.
CREATE AN INSTA-WORTHY BEER GARDEN!
If your venue is lucky enough to have some outdoor space, creating a beer garden or freshening up an existing one is a great way of making the most of those warm summer days. Here are five top tips for creating a beer garden worthy of Instagram…
1. GET GREEN FINGERED!
Sprucing up your garden needn’t be time consuming or expensive. Plant a few brightly coloured flowers, cut the grass, trim the edges and tidy up any paved or pebbled areas.
2. FOCUS ON FURNITURE!
Attractive, comfortable, hard-wearing furniture and fixtures can help make your beer garden a more inviting and enjoyable spot for your customers to while away a few hours.
3.
BRIGHTEN IT UP!
Adding some bright, vibrant colours in whatever way you choose can help lift your beer garden and make it truly Instagram-worthy, particularly for younger customers.
4.
ADD A BAR!
If you’ve got the space, and licensing rules permit, why not add a dedicated outdoor bar to make it even easier for your customers to quench their thirst on a hot summer summer’s day.
5.
TAILOR YOUR FOOD!
Drive up food sales by offering a summer menu in the garden with lighter dishes or get the BBQ going – a great way to drive sales as customers get wafts of that irresistible smell.
If you pour Greene King’s premium beers and are in a high footfall area with a suitable outdoor space, why not talk to your SDM about how Greene King might be able to help with a free outdoor makeover? Alternatively, we can offer loans to help you develop the area yourself.
CATEGORY CORNER: RANGE SCIENCE
In the latest in our series of articles on Greene King’s category vision for ale, we take a look at the vital importance of range science.
By John Malone, Head of
Brewery Engagement
Hopefully you have been following this series of articles on Greene King’s ‘How To Win With Ale’ category vision and have been able to implement some of the advice in your own venue to help grow sales of cask ale and bring new energy and excitement into the category.
In previous issues we’ve covered topics including perfect presentation and quality, so in this issue we intend to take a deep dive into the world of range science.
Before we do that, it’s worth remembering just how important cask ale is to venues across the country and, indeed, to your customers. Ale is a fundamental cornerstone of a credible beer offer for any venue. One in every five pints sold is ale and cask ale is the third-biggest category by rate of sale per venue, with
more than 130 pints sold per week. Believe it or not, that’s ahead of keg ale, which sits in fourth position.
In simple terms, cask ale is popular, it sells fast and it helps bring customers to your door at quieter times of the week.
So it’s easy to see why we strongly believe that there is a huge opportunity to transform the way the industry looks at the ale category. At Greene King, we welcome the responsibility to play a leading role in that transformation.
‘How to Win with Ale’ embraces the importance and role of ale on the bar and the challenges and opportunities for the category. It also provides a fresh perspective on innovation, quality, and presentation for the industry.
National vs Local
RANGE MATTERS
3 in every 4 pints of cask ale sold is amber* making it a must-stock for any cask stockist. However, golden and pale ales continue to steal share within cask. They also play an important role in broadening appeal, attracting a younger, more affluent consumer which is great for cask ale sales!
In this series of articles we have discussed the importance of perfect presentation and of quality in every sense – but winning with ale also means ensuring you have a great range behind the bar that will appeal to the broadest spectrum of drinkers.
The science behind developing the right range for your venue is simple, yet very robust, and involves ranging to maximise both drinker appeal and profit. This means:
• Quality over quantity
Expand your seasonal range and improve quality with 4.5G cask ale pins
• Breadth of choice – across styles and price points
• Venue fit and regionality
3 REASONS TO USE PINS
RANGING CONSIDERATIONS
1 2 3 To add cask to the bar for the first time
To broaden range
Cask ale is a cornerstone of the Great British pub and when executed well it can drive footfall, frequency and spend. Making sure you have the right range is a vital piece of the puzzle: too many choices means throughputs could be too low to achieve a high quality serve; too few choices and your cask customers won’t be satisfied with the variety.
To offer cask during quieter periods
Permanent vs Rotational
3. Permanent v Rotation – Be sure to stock choices customers can recognise and rely on, alongside new options that offer interest and excitement.
Consider offering a mix of well known national brands with broad appeal and local options tailored to your region.
STICK OR TWIST
Be sure to have familiar favourites always available whilst driving interest and excitement through rotational choices. This will appeal to the broadest range of drinkers.
How many sticks do you have, or need, behind the bar at your venue? We would offer the following ranging advice:
How Many Sticks?
Pins are not always the best option for your venue – any brand that sells a full firkin every 3 days does not need to switch to pins –however you may wish to broaden your range or try new styles and pins are a great way of doing that.
To help you choose a strong range, here are some important considerations:
1. Style – 2 in 3 pints sold are amber ale making it a must stock for the bar. However, golden ale is growing so is also important to stock.
You may even find that mixing pins and firkins maximises availability and reduces wastage throughout the week.
2. National v Local – national brands offer broad appeal with consumers while local choices are growing in popularity.
Venue must pour minimum of 24 pints per day (or 12 if using pins)
Venue must pour minimum of 48 pints per day (or 24 if using pins)
Venue must pour minimum of 72 pints a day (or 36 if using pins)
National brand with strong ROS Premium amber or golden ale Seasonal or rotational Typically amber ale May be a rotational option
*Source :CGA OPMS MAT 13/07/2024
FINISHING TOUCHES
It’s worth noting that in Greene King’s managed estate, our branded cask ales are growing +4.2% by volume, outperforming the cask market. The learnings we have shared above have been applied in real pubs – and they work!
So, if we work together – Greene King brewing great beers and you keeping them that way – we can deliver stronger sales for you, drive fresh footfall, generate customer loyalty and provide those elevated experiences your drinkers are looking for.
Cask ale is a unique product that’s only available in the ontrade and has hundreds of years of history and heritage behind it. Working together we can ensure that it has a long and profitable future ahead of it too.
For further advice and support on ranging the ales in your venue, just contact your Greene King or Belhaven SDM.
Stick 1 Stick 2 Stick 3
STEP 1
STEP 1
Direct the new customer to our sign-up form, found to the right.
Direct the new customer to our sign-up form, found to the right.
STEP 2
STEP 2
They sign up and include your details on the form (under ‘Referrals’) and progress to open a new trading account.
They sign up and include your details on the form (under ‘Referrals’) and progress to open a new trading account.
STEP 3
We’ll send your rewards; £500 account credit & £100 high street voucher! For the sign-up form and full Terms and Conditions, scan the QR code above or visit www.valueforvenues.co.uk/customer
STEP 3
We’ll send your
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: KEY TRENDS
KEY MENU PRINCIPLES
We have identifi ed the biggest and most important food trends for 2025 to help you make sure
line
year.
your offer is in
with consumer expectations this
By Caroline Morley, Insights Manager – Consumer
It may help to keep in mind the key principles from our extensive menu research as you design your menus. Key things to consider include:
Layout and ow – how easy is your menu to read and understand?
Menu content and style – what’s the best way to present your dishes to diners? Through pictures that make the dish look mouthwatering? Through descriptions that whet the appetite?
Fonts and colours – the design can say a lot about your establishment and make particular dishes stand out.
Pricing, deals and promotions – consider how to make these elements stand out at a time when customers are being careful with their money. The cost-of-living crisis very much continues, and value remains a key driver of venue choice. Quality of food is a huge part of value for money – getting the best quality of food for the price paid.
Maximising food and drink sales in your venue means staying on top of the latest consumer trends to make sure that your offer is in line with what today’s consumers are looking for when they venture out to a venue for a drink and a bite to eat.
That’s why we work with a specialist trend-tracking agency called The Food People to help us stay on top of the latest food and drink trends. We also do lots of research on all of our menus before launch. Here are some learnings to help you think about refreshing your food offering for 2025!
KEY POINT 1
CONSUMERS ARE LOOKING FOR EXCITING AND NEW FLAVOURS TO TRY!
There are so many different cuisines and ingredients now available for consumers to try – and there’s an increasing demand for a variety of different flavours. These range from dessert flavours in hot drinks to tropical flavours, sour, pickles and spicy in main dishes.
There’s a wide range of flavours and textures available to choose from to make dishes interesting and exciting.
SO WHAT?
Consider if there are new flavours you can base dishes around to give your customers something new and different to try, as well as offering familiar favourites.
Perhaps consider giving some traditional favourites a fresh, modern twist to elevate your menu and offer your customers something new and exciting.
KEY POINT 2
THE NEW ANGLE ON HEALTH – SPOTLIGHT ON REAL, UNPROCESSED
INGREDIENTS
There’s been a lot of coverage in the media now about Ultra Processed Food. As consumers focus on their health and on making balanced choices, more emphasis is starting to be placed on single ingredients.
Whether that’s cheese, potatoes, different cuts of meat or eggs, the basic pillars of food can be really interesting and different. Highlighting the use of wholefoods and minimally processed ingredients in your menu can help appeal to this growing audience.
SO WHAT?
Consider what you and your kitchen team can do with single, real food ingredients to make fresh, interesting dishes with ingredients that consumers will recognise.
Items like hash browns, different types of cheese from burrata to camembert, pies with different cuts of meat, and eggs beyond breakfast are all things we’re seeing more and more on menus.
KEY POINT 3 COMFORT FOOD & TREATS
With continued concerns over the cost of living and so many other worrying things happening in the world – global conflict, extreme weather and more – customers are looking for little treats and small moments of indulgence to help bring moments of escapism into life.
This could be as simple as a really indulgent dessert, a midafternoon cake or pastry, or a comforting hot chocolate. Nostalgia and fun can play a strong role here too.
SO WHAT?
Think about how you can offer comforting classics as well as indulgent, new and interesting puddings, cakes and hot drinks to tempt consumers and give them moments of joy.
If it looks great and can be photographed to share on social media, even better!
Livewires bring new energy to The Old Generator Station
THE OLD GENERATOR STATION
MANAGER
KERRY FOREMAN LOCATION
ALDEBURGH, EAST SUFFOLK
VENUE TYPE
COMMUNITY HUB
The boundless energy of Kerry Foreman and Martin Walker have helped revitalise a unique venue on the East Suffolk coast, turning it into the true community hub it was created to be.
“When I first came here a couple of years ago the place was more or less just ticking over,” says Kerry Foreman, Manager of The Old Generator Station in the beautiful East Suffolk coastal village of Aldeburgh. “There were a few men propping up the bar most days but that was about it. It was on its knees really and there was just no excitement or energy.”
Which is ironic, given the fact that, as its name suggests, the building used to house the generator station that literally provided energy to the entire local area.
Just two years down the line and The Old Generator Station is very much back in the game and has finally become the genuine community hub that it was first built to be.
“That’s actually what I’m most proud of,” says Kerry, born and bred in the town. “This place was renovated as a community centre way back in 2007 but it’s only in the last couple of years that it has really become a true community hub – and that makes me so happy.”
Nestled on the East Suffolk coast, about 40 minutes’ drive from Ipswich, Aldeburgh is an undeniably pretty little seaside town and, unsurprisingly, is awash with tourists in summertime. That’s great for the local economy.
“We sit about a five-minute walk from the coast and what we’re really trying to do here is provide the local community with a place to gather, to meet up, to have fun and just spend time together,” says Martin Walker, Assistant Manager. “Up the other end of town on the coast there’s often a lot of tourists, which is great, but it means prices can be very high for food and drink and it means it can be quite difficult for locals to find somewhere they can call their own. That’s where we come in.”
Martin says The Old Generator Station works very hard to ensure that they charge “fair” prices to their customers. “Typically, we’ll be about £1 cheaper on an average drink than down in town which means that the locals can come in, have a few drinks and play a game of darts or pool, watch the
footy and have a laugh with their friends without worrying about overspending.”
The venue is also carefully geared towards the needs of local customers.
“We’re not a sports club as such,” says Kerry, “but a lot of the entertainment is based around sports. We have dart boards, a pool table and a full-sized snooker table. We have our own darts team too which is fantastic because they certainly get through quite a few drinks when they have their matches! And we have a couple of TV screens, one of which is huge.”
“I’ve been told it’s the 11th-biggest screen in the UK!” adds Martin. “The sports on TV is really important to us. We’ve got Sky Sports and TNT, which Greene King helped with, and we show all sorts of sports. Having two screens helps because it gives customers a choice.
A key lever in the revitalisation of The Old Generator Station was the introduction of food. “When I took over, I knew we had a lot of things to fix and adding food was one of them,” explains Kerry. “I’d only been here six months when I managed to persuade Martin to come on board and be chef and assistant manager.”
Martin takes up the story: “I was actually retired at the time. I had been a Barrister’s Clerk but my big passion in life was cooking. Kerry can be very persuasive, you see, and she dragged me out of retirement and into the kitchen here!”
The addition of food made a huge difference, as Martin explains: “I took the first month to figure out what our customers wanted to see on the menu then we just got stuck in. It’s mostly traditional pub food, with some little twists. We use a lot of local produce and suppliers.
“The food brings people here more often, it brings bigger groups and they tend to stay
longer, so it’s been a success.”
Has that success been replicated across the business? “Absolutely,” says Martin. “If you look at beer, for example, our barrelage has doubled in the last 18 months. Footfall has at least doubled, food sales are through the roof and we’re starting to see a much broader spectrum of people, including families and kids.”
Also helping bring people to the venue is a regular series of events and special evenings.
“We now host large events like wedding receptions but we also hold smaller evenings,” says Kerry. “We have a curry night, a karaoke night and live music and we have a Sunday roast lunch once a month, too.”
The transformation of a tired community club into a vibrant hub has been achieved in a remarkably short space of time, but Kerry and Martin are modest about their
achievements. “All it needed was somebody with a little bit of vision,” says Kerry. “Someone who could see the potential. We haven’t done any rocket science here; we’ve just put all the basic building blocks in place and given our customers a venue they can call their own and where they have everything they need.”
Martin adds: “We don’t really think of this as a job, it’s more a way of life – and we love it!”
So is it job done for the duo? “No chance,” scoffs Kerry. “We’ve done all the basics now and we’ve put The Old Generator Station back on the map, where it deserves to be as a true community hub. But we’ve got some ideas going forward.”
The venue is owned by the local council and is governed by a board of trustees but, says Kerry, they have been extremely supportive – which is perhaps hardly surprising given how successful Kerry has been in giving the venue a new lease of life.
“The trustees make a lot of the decisions,” she says, “but they’ve been brilliant, allowing us to introduce a free coffee and cake morning, where locals can come and chat and catch up once a week.”
Kerry explains that the venue already benefits from a large beer garden space, but feels that “in the future we’d love to develop something a little bit special - an elevated terrace with spectacular views”.
As for the alcohol range, Kerry and Martin buy everything from Greene King. “It makes life simple for us and it works,” says Kerry. “Greene King were already supplying the venue when we took over, but we have a great relationship with them and they’ve been very supportive.”
The venue has one handpull for cask ale with Greene King IPA permanently featured while it also offers an extensive range of keg draught beer including Belhaven Best and Level Head.
“We know the market has premiumised in recent years and we need to follow that trend for our customers, but we still need to maintain that great-value pricing,” says Martin. “We offer great beer, wines and spirits, but we still provide really strong value.”
Kerry is also seeing increasing demand for alcohol-free options and stocks Old Speckled Hen Low Alcohol as well as alcohol-free options from Guinness and Heineken.
“We’ve also seen big growth in wine sales in
the last year or so,” says Kerry. “That’s been driven by the food side of the business and by the increasing number of functions we’re hosting. We’re considering adding another bar in an adjacent room, which would always be open to locals, even when we have a big function on.”
“This venue isn’t just for the adults. We host a number of events for our younger generation, such as Sports Week, where the children have the opportunity to learn and join in with sports such as golf, sailing, archery and so much more.”
So it seems that there’s no shortage of passion, creativity or energy in this little corner of East Suffolk and the residents of Aldeburgh can be very grateful indeed to Kerry and Martin for bringing The Old Generator Station back to life.
“It’s funny though,” concludes Kerry. “This place has been called The Old Generator Station for years and years, but the locals still insist on calling it ‘the Com’, short for community centre. And do you know what? I think there’s something lovely about that. Because it really is a community centre now.”
A hole new challenge
Adam Stafford and fiancée Chelsea Aubrat have just struck out on their own, taking over the historic 19th Hole pub and restaurant in Fife after more than 12 years working for Greene King.
Striking out on your own and taking over a pub at the relatively tender age of 30 would put the fear into many people, but not Fife publicans Adam Stafford and his fiancée Chelsea Aubrat. They have, after all, been working in and running pubs, bars and nightclubs for over 12 years – and all on behalf of Greene King.
“Chelsea and I had been together since school and we both started working for Greene King around 12 years ago when we were both aged 18,” says Adam. “It wasn’t long after Greene King acquired Belhaven, and we first worked in The Brasshouse in Dunfermline which ended up being the last nightclub that Greene King ever owned. They’ve since sold it to a local entrepreneur but working there was our baptism of fire in the trade!”
After that the couple moved to Sunderland, where Chelsea had gone to university, with Adam taking on a role at The Rosedean, before returning to Dunfermline where Adam moved to The Seven Kings and Chelsea returned to The Compass in nearby Dalgety Bay where she had worked before.
“After that, I left to run a vapeshop and Chelsea moved to Dunfermline Press, a local
newspaper publisher,” says Adam. “Then Covid struck and the company I worked for closed 90% of their stores but Chelsea continued to work at Dunfermline Press right through the pandemic.”
When Covid finally receded, Adam found himself back in the pub trade. “I got a job back at The Compass, just working behind the bar, not as manager or anything,” he explains. “Then about a year later I became assistant manager and Chelsea joined me as senior team leader.”
It was at that point that Adam was offered a fresh challenge: “I was asked if I wanted to go to Peebles to become a holding GM at The County Hotel. I was only meant to be there for a month or so, but I ended up being there for six months. After a month Chelsea joined as holding assistant manager and we were ultimately offered permanent roles.”
Tempting as a permanent position was at the time, Adam and Chelsea simply didn’t click with Peebles. “There’s lots we loved about Peebles but I’ll be honest and say it wasn’t quite the right fit for us,” he explains. “So we spoke some more to Greene King as they were keen to find somewhere for us. We told them we wanted to go back to
THE 19TH HOLE
LOCATION: EARLSFERRY, FIFE
MANAGERS: ADAM STAFFORD AND CHELSEA AUBRAT
VENUE TYPE: PUB AND RESTAURANT
Kirkcaldy so they offered us The Compass. We were back full circle!”
Adam was appointed GM and Chelsea was appointed Assistant Manager.
“I was in that role for about two and a half years,” recalls Adam, “but towards the end of last year we were kind of getting itchy feet. Eventually we decided to leave in September, and we took all of October off to clear our heads and have a good think about what we wanted to do next.
“We knew that we were up to the challenge of running a venue well. We’d doubled sales in The Compass inside a year and we’d done the same thing at The County, so we were
confident in our abilities. We just wanted to make sure that the next step we took was right for us.”
As it turns out, there was no shortage of demand for the pair, and they were quickly offered jobs in Aberfeldy as well as being asked if they might be interested in running The 19th Hole in Earlsferry in the East Neuk of Fife.
“As soon as we came for a look we were smitten,” laughs Adam. “Elie and Earlsferry is a beautiful little town, the pub had huge potential and masses of history and all the people we managed to speak to were lovely. Plus, it was a lovely place for us to live. It just ticked every box.”
The leasehold on the venue is owned by Gary MacLeod and his wife Claire who also hold the lease for the Bein Inn Hotel and Restaurant in Glenfarg.
Adam explains: “We spoke to Gary and Claire and we just liked what we heard. They were looking for development managers to bring The 19th Hole back to life as he wouldn’t be on site very often.
“It had been closed for about five months but was one of only three pubs in the area. It’s a very historic building and dates back to at least the 1820s. It sits right by the side of the Elie Golf House Club Course and, at one point, this building used to actually be the club house!”
When Adam and Chelsea inherited it, however, it wasn’t in great shape. “It was a mess,” says Adam. “I’m sorry but it was. It took us weeks to get it in shape, fix everything, apply for licences, get fire checks done, you
name it. Funnily enough, the one thing we didn’t have a problem with was getting the place stocked up. Having worked for Greene King for 12 years, we had no problem bringing Belhaven on board as our main supplier – and they were excellent. They got us all the stock we needed in plenty of time so that when we opened on the 10th of January this year, we were all set.
“We stock Belhaven Best, Level Head and Estrella Galicia among other things and they’re doing well. We also sell a lot of wine and a fair amount of gin.
“Belhaven offers a strong range of great products and their support networks are fantastic, particularly around cellar management. It’s a real ‘people’ business and they’ve just great to deal with.”
And has the local community welcomed the re-opening of the pub? “Honestly, you wouldn’t believe it,” says Adam. “I’ve worked
INSTALL STRONGBOW STRAWBERRY.
in pubs for a long time and I’ve never seen support from a local community like it. It’s been breathtaking, and Chelsea and I couldn’t be happier.”
The pair are still doing 60- and 65-hour weeks but, as Adam says, “they don’t feel quite so long when you’re seeing all of the benefit yourself!”
The pair both work full time, every hour the venue is open, and have only one other member of the team, their chef. Food is a major element of the venue’s offer and an open plan kitchen really adds some atmosphere for guests.
“The menu features mostly Scottish traditional pub classics as well as a lot of fish, as you would imagine in a coastal venue like this,” says Adam. “We keep our menu relatively short because for us it’s all about quality, freshly prepared dishes.”
The venue is open five days a week until April then will move to seven days, midday until 1am.
When Value for Venues visited, The 19th Hole had literally only been opened for two weeks but Adam is already confident that he and his fiancée have made the right decision.
“We love living here, the people are lovely, and we feel like we’re bringing something unique to the community,” says Adam. “There are only about 700 people who live in Elie and Earlsferry year-round but in summer it’s absolutely rammed with tourists. I saw the sales figures from when the pub was last open and they weren’t great. We’re already doing good weekly sales figures in the quiet period of the year and having only been open a couple of weeks, so we’re targeting summer sales that are vastly in excess of what the pub used to do. Typically the sales here grew 300-400% in summer so we’ll be aiming to at least match that.”
In a sense, having a few months to get used to the building, the town and the customer base has been ideal for Adam and Chelsea. “It’s perfect actually, because it lets us get our feet properly under the table before the madness begins,” laughs Adam.
So it’s with a sense of real excitement that the couple look forward to the summer, as Adam explains: “It’s a real team effort for me and Chelsea. We both do everything. There’s no split between tasks. We both do everything and we do it to the best of our abilities. Running our own place means we have creative freedom. We can do whatever we think will work and we can express ourselves through the drinks, the food, the décor, whatever we like. That’s a good feeling after running managed pubs for years.”
They may only be in the door two weeks, but the pair already have a gameplan mapped out for the next decade.
“This is the start of a journey”, concludes Adam. “We’ve spoken at length with Gary and Claire and the plan is to expand the group over the next 10 years or so. That’s why Chelsea and I are development managers, not just general managers. The ambition is that Chelsea and I move to every new venue Gary and Claire take on and get it established and profitable, then hand it over to a trained team. Then we’d move on and repeat the process. That would be an enjoyable career for us. But first things first: we need to get The 19th Hole into top gear as quickly as we can.”
Including Prosecco)
Jack Rabbit Prosecco (200ml only)
(187ml)
The Jack Rabbit Wine Club
Making stocking our wines even more satisfying and rewarding.
Join the Club Today
Step 1
New or existing stockists of Jack Rabbit Wine can become a member by simply filling in an online membership form at https://www.jackrabbitrewardsme.com/, or giving us a call on 0800 731 3047, to join and receive a membership pack.
Step 3
Once you’ve collected enough Bunny Points, you can choose from our selection of POS, electrical incentives and experiences in our gift catalogue or online. You can place an order on the website/app or simply give us a call.
Customer Feedback:
“Jack Rabbit is a customer favourite, and the single serves go down a treat and cater for everyone's needs.” - Harbour tavern
“Love the Jack Rabbit rewards programme as it gives you a chance to get promotional items and they are nice quality.” - Woodbine Corner Stores
Step 2
You’ll then need to collect Bunny Points printed on our promotional cases and enter the 8-digit code directly onto your account via the app/website. On certain packs, you may still need to post your points to:
Freepost RTCR-ZYTE-SYKY, Jack Rabbit Wine Club Bournemouth. BH2 5PQ
Step 4
After redeeming your hard-earned rewards, sit back, and wait for your goodies to arrive.
Included Within The Club:
Points to spend on a wide variety of pos items.
FRESHEN IT UP!
Greene King has recently listed an extensive collection of products to help you broaden your range and drive sales and profi ts.
THE DRINKS BUREAU COCKTAIL CANS 150ML
Three new 150ml cocktail cans from the Drinks Bureau can help you target those looking for high quality premix cocktails. The 10% ABV cans are available in three flavours: Passionfruit Martini, Spicy Margarita and Strawberry Daiquiri.
BELVOIR RANGE 250ML / 500ML / 750ML
Take your mixers and soft drinks offering up a level with some fantastic products from Belvoir which have been listed recently. The range includes Pink Lady apple juice, Elderflower Pressé, Elderflower Cordial, Lime Cordial, Blackcurrant Cordial, Ginger Beer and Raspberry Lemonade.
DIAGEO BIB PRE-BATCHED COCKTAILS 3L
A professional range of four of the most popular cocktails pre-batched in 3L BIB format crafted with Diageo’s leading brands. Designed to be decanted into speed rail bottles, hand-finished (poured, mixed or shaken) over ice and garnished. RSP is £7.50 per serve (150ml).
EL JIMADOR BLANCO TEQUILA 70CL
Fresh, crisp and buzzing with citrus flavour, El Jimador Silver is made with 100% blue Weber agave and double distilled with sparkling clarity. No barrel ageing prior to bottling, it’s perfect for any occasion.
PROFESSIONAL PRE-BATCHED
INTRODUCING A SMARTER, FASTER, MORE CONSISTENT WAY TO SERVE CLASSIC COCKTAILS.
available in March and April.
Meet The Team: Fiona Matheson
This issue we sit down with Belhaven Brewery’s Marketing Manager, Fiona Matheson to fi nd out more about her whirlwind career at Scotland’s oldest working brewery.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF FIONA?
I’m Fiona Matheson and I’m Marketing Manager at Belhaven Brewery, a position I have held since January 2024. I graduated from Edinburgh University in 2017 with a degree in Business with Enterprise and Innovation, including marketing. Actually, before I began my corporate career, I spent one year after university running my own little business, a Highland Dance School. I taught five nights a week, and spent most weekends travelling to competitions or doing ‘gigs’ – it was really fun!
WHAT DID YOU DO AFTER GRADUATING?
The first proper job I had was a graduate position in Glasgow with GlenAllachie Distillers Co Limited, a new-start whisky company that was creating and releasing a range of single and blended malts. I was employed as a marketing executive, and I was there for about two and a half years. I’m originally from East Lothian, and in 2019 I bought a house in Edinburgh. The
ABOUT FIONA
Fiona graduated from Edinburgh University in 2017 with a degree in Business with Enterprise and Innovation. After graduating, Fiona spent one year running a highland dance school that she had established when she was only 17 years old, before beginning her corporate career with a whisky company in Glasgow developing a new single malt. She joined Belhaven in 2020, during lockdown, as Marketing Executive. She played a key role in the opening of the Belhaven Brewery Visitor Centre and in 2022 was promoted to Brand Manager. In 2024 she was once more promoted to her current role as Marketing Manager for Belhaven Brewery.
commute to Glasgow every day wasn’t ideal and I started looking for something closer to home.
DID YOU FIND SOMETHING?
I did! By 2020, lockdown was in force and I was working from home, which was a lot easier, but then I saw a job advertised at Belhaven Brewery which sounded amazing, and it was only 15 minutes down the road. I applied and was lucky enough to get the position, joining as a marketing executive in October 2020.
WAS THAT NOT STILL DURING THE LOCKDOWNS?
Yes! After just five weeks I was furloughed. I then came back and worked for a week after Christmas then was furloughed for another 16 weeks! It wasn’t the ideal situation for my career but at least it gave me the chance to decorate my house.
WHEN DID YOU ACTUALLY GET STARTED AGAIN THEN?
I started properly in April 2021, and I was straight in at the
deep end because I was tasked with helping to open the new Belhaven Visitor Experience. It was initially meant to open in 2019 to celebrate Belhaven’s 300th birthday but, like so many things, it got delayed by Covid.
BUT YOU GOT THERE IN THE END?
Yes, I spent a full year in total working on that project and the centre finally opened in November 2021. Thankfully it’s gone on to be a huge success and has won a lot of awards. It really is a very special visitor centre and I’m proud of the role I played
in helping bring it to life. We hired two retired-Belhaven employees to come back and staff the shop and conduct tours. We get over 10,000 visitors a year which is pretty phenomenal for a small brewery. It’s the number one thing to do in Dunbar on Tripadvisor.
THEN WHAT?
At the start of the following year, January 2022, I was promoted to Brand Manager, which was great. I got involved in a much wider range of projects and tasks which I enjoyed. Everything from organising events to working on rebrands. It was very exciting.
WHICH REBRANDS DID YOU WORK ON?
I was heavily involved in the major rebrands of Belhaven Best and Belhaven Black, which was an extremely fulfilling time. It involved working with so many different people and teams to deliver fantastic new looks for both products. We spent more than six months working on the rebrands before we even
started thinking about artwork. The design agency came and immersed themselves in the brewery and its 300 years of history.
HAVE THE REBRANDS WORKED?
Very much so. Best is helping sustain the ale market and is more than holding its share as well as bringing new drinkers into the category. Black is also flying, particularly given that there has been a resurgence in interest in the stout category. It was perfect timing really. And the rebrands must have gone well because I was promoted once more in January 2024 to Senior Brand Marketing Manager, the role I still hold!
HOW WAS 2024?
A HORSEBOX?
We spent a lot of the year rolling the new looks for Best and Black out to the trade with new fonts, handles, lenses and POS. We updated the branding for our McCallums cans– our sweet Scottish stout. We also launched quite a few interesting promotions and competitions to drive awareness and engagement, like our popular Spin To Win promotion.
AND HOW IS 2025 LOOKING?
Busy! As always. We have a full marketing and events programme
at events all over Scotland.
to execute to keep driving the brands forward. There are some exciting NPD opportunities in the pipeline too, although I can’t say too much about that at the moment. We’ve brought back Spin To Win for the Six Nations and we’ve just shared the rebrand of our 80/- beer. The Belhaven horsebox will be back out on the road, appearing at events all over Scotland.
Yup. It’s actually a renovated horsebox with a bar which we can take to events all over the country. It’s a great little resource and it’s available to Free Trade customers, too. We can pour two draught products and have a double fridge for soft drinks/ bottled beers. If anyone would like to have it at an event or function they’re having, please do get in touch!
SO YOU’RE ENJOYING IT THEN?
I’m loving it! No two days are the same in my job and that’s what I like about it. I get to work on so many amazing projects and I get to work with so many amazing people. I’ve always got a huge project to work on, but I’ve also got lots of smaller stuff that keeps me busy day-to-day. Belhaven Brewery is a special place to work, it really is.
SCARLET FEVER
Wine drinkers spend more than most other drinkers, making them an attractive audience in the next few months – and Greene King has a fantastic selection of reds to help you do just that.
There’s endless talk of the cost-of-living crisis and consumers tightening their purse strings, so when opportunities to get people to part with their precious pennies arise, then you need to grab them with both hands. And within the realm of red wines, the chance to encourage customers to trade up is not to be missed.
Research from CGA shows that wine drinkers are better-thanaverage spenders in the On Premise, with more than threequarters (77%) drinking out at least weekly, compared to 71% of average consumers (CGA Wine Insights Report 2022).
What’s more, growth in UK wines is being driven by premiumisation trends, observes intelligence firm Pristine Market Insights, adding that there is increasing demand for high-quality products, with consumers gravitating towards fine wines.
Be it a rich Cabernet Sauvignon with a succulent steak; a fullbodied Merlot with a hearty lasagne; or a peppery Shiraz with a fragrant lamb tagine, there’s nothing like a high-end glass of red or two to elevate a dish.
If you run a restaurant or gastropub, then having a strong red wine selection means there’s always a most enticing and exciting accompaniment for customers to enjoy with their favourite meals, leading to those all-important incremental sales.
Equally, if your venue is more drinks-orientated then a good
bottle of red can be the star of the show. From our easy-drinking Phebus Argentinian Malbec to our intense Castellani Chianti Classico DOCG, red wine can both surprise and delight, and at Greene King we have an exceptional selection from which you can create an intriguing and inspiring wine list.
So how can you capitalise on the premium trend and encourage customers to ramp up their red wine choices? The secret to selling wine is all in the storytelling. If you can educate
customers on this fascinating drink and all its intricacies, you’ll find they simply can’t resist coming back for more. By giving them access to simple information, such as grape variety, region, and aromas, you can encourage customers to take a genuine interest in what they are drinking and invite them to experiment in order to find their favourites. This could be as simple as adding a few extra details to your wine menu, or getting staff clued up on key lines.
accompanied by tasting notes – to enable you to tap into the premium trend and help your customers make the most of this decadent category. Whether they wish to whet their palates with the sweet cherry and warming vanilla notes of our Baron de Ley Rioja Reserva or unleash
460836
Trescoy de Lavau Châteauneuf-du-Pape
France | 14.5%
Full and well-balanced, with a long finish. Aromas of plums and black cherries with a hint of cocoa and cloves.
TIME TO CHILL?
When British Vogue publishes a feature dedicated to chilled red wine, as it did this past October, it’s time to sit up and pay attention.
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Quatre Vin CÔtes de Provence Rouge
France | 12.0%
Super crunchy red cherry fruit, vibrant pomegranate, and a touch of spicy sophistication.
their passion for pomegranate with our Quatre Vin Cotes de Provence Rouge, Greene King has everything you need to ensure drinkers are engaged, enchanted and eager to pay more for a top-quality tipple.
415598
Pontet Nivelle Bordeaux Rouge
France | 12.5%
A lovely blackcurrant and violet aroma, it’s fruity and very well balanced with soft tannins.
Greene King has compiled an arresting array of our very best red wines –of
It’s not just the fashionistas that are highlighting the trend, Philip Thompson, General Manager at Expert Wine Storage, concurs that chilling red wine is the way forward. He claims that light-bodied wines prefer lower temperatures, closer to 12 degrees, whereas fuller-bodied varieties taste better at around 18 degrees.
He suggests chilling red wine for up to 30 minutes to bring it down to the right serving temperature.
So if you’re looking to liven up your menu, then adding a chilled option may well appeal to the cool kids.
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Argento Organic Argentinian Malbec
406548
Argentina | 14.0%
Fresh and fruity with plums, raspberries and cherries.
Phebus Argentinian Malbec
Argentina | 14.0%
Lovely nose of black fruits and liquorice. Full bodied, bursting with spicy red and dark fruits.
453201 Araldica Barolo Flori Docg
Italy | 14.0%
Plump fruit, brown spice with a delicate floral and violet notes. An all rounded texture,with firm tannins giving a good lengthy finish.
419461
Castellani Chianti Classico Docg
Italy | 12.0%
Vivacious ruby red colour tending to garnet with ageing. Bouquet of intensity, fruit with a violets and a slight hint of cherries. Dry, balanced and sapid, lightly tannic which turns into velvety softness.
454666
Baron de Ley Rioja Reserva
Spain | 13.5%
A classic rioja from renowned Producer, Baron de Ley. Intense cherry fruits with balanced vanilla and oak components.
CORE VALUES
Apple reigns supreme as The Westons Cider Report reveals the key trends driving on-trade sales.
Cider may not have reached the heady heights of beer, but it is still worth an impressive £1.9bn in the on-trade, having risen 4.7% versus the previous year, according to the 2024 Westons Cider Report.
Circana Insights Manager Jack Street says: “Despite not having a major share, cider should not be underestimated.”
And as we head towards the warmer months, where cider really gets its chance to shine, now is the time to ensure that your range has all bases covered.
Draught cider continues to dominate on-trade cider sales, holding a 76.4% share of the on-trade market. And within this segment, apple is king, making up three-quarters of the market volume.
THE PULL OF PREMIUM
One of the most drastic changes from the 2024 Cider Report compared to the 2023 version is the move within apple cider draughts from mainstream (aka ‘good’) brands – think Magners and Carling Cider – to more mainstream premium (aka ‘better’) brands, like Thatchers Gold, Thatchers Haze, Inch’s and Stowford Press, all of which are available through Greene King.
Mainstream cider has dropped -6.2ppts and now accounts for just 34% of total draught apple sales, while mainstream premium cider now makes up over half of all draught apple with a 51.3% share, up +5.9ppts. Crafted apple cider (aka ‘best’) is also on the up, ascending +4.4ppts to achieve a 13.8% volume share of total draught apple. Some of the leading lights within this
The average price of a pint of cider is £4.31, +17p vs LY
Source: Westons Cider Report 2024
category include Henry Westons Vintage, Aspall Cyder 4.5%, and Orchard Pig Reveller, which can all be ordered through Greene King.
The Westons report identifies that consumers want brands they perceive to offer value for money. It says: “Apple brands are delivering on this through heritage, provenance and the authentic nature of crafted and cared-for apple cider.”
According to the report, mainstream draught apple cider has an average RSP of £3.67 per pint, whereas premium brands (combining mainstream premium and crafted) now account for 65.1% and attract an average RSP of between 42p and £1.38 more than mainstream.
FLAVOUR FINDINGS
After a long period of decline, the report states that flavoured draught cider has plateaued with a 25% market share. The top seller is Strongbow Dark Fruit, which falls into the Mainstream (aka ‘good’) sub-category and holds a 45.7% share. However, this variant has declined 6.7ppts since December 2022 as more premium alternatives come on board, such as Stowford Press Dark Berry and Old Mout Berries & Cherries, which are available from Greene King. Mainstream premium (aka ‘better’) flavoured draught has climbed up 4.6ppts and now accounts for 42.4% of total flavoured draught, having stolen significant share from its mainstream counterpart, which has plummeted 8.8ppts to 43.2%.
THE YOUNG ONES
Cider has been successful in appealing to new, younger and affluent drinkers, according to CGA, which claims that younger demographics over-index on cider. Three in 10 (30%) of those aged 25-34 now drink on premise, and a third of the cider consumers drink out at least weekly and spend £5 more than the average of £101 a month.
Crafted (aka ‘best’) flavoured draught cider has also grown market share, up 4.2ppts to 14.4% of total flavoured draught. This means that more premium brands (including both premium mainstream and crafted) now account for 56.8% of the draught flavoured category in volume terms, an increase of 6.6ppts compared to the previous year’s report.
There is also movement from draught flavoured cider back into packaged formats, the 2024 report identifies.
So there you have it, premiumisation remains a major trend across the board. “Outlets looking to maximise cider revenues should carefully review their draught cider range and consider switching to more premium brands,” advises Westons. “The bestselling brands need to be given prominent tap positions. There is more return for outlets that can sell more of the brands that can command the higher prices, so this is key to profit and health of their categories.”
Obviously, a venue can only accommodate a limited number of taps, so stocking a good range of packaged ciders enables you to optimise your offer. Greene King can provide a multitude of popular brands, including top premium apple options like Thatchers, Inch’s and Westons Vintage, plus a wealth of flavoured SKUs from Kopparberg, Old Mout and Rekorderlig.
Taking into account the needs and wants of your individual customer base, combined with the latest trends towards premium mainstream and crafted ciders, will enable you to create a captivating cider offer, guaranteeing juicy profits.
Almost 30% of cider serves take place on a Saturday
Source: Westons Cider Report 2024
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