Headlines November - December 2024

Headlines

November - December 2024

Dear customer…

Welcome to your bumper festive edition of Headlines!

It’s a special time of the year for everyone and we have a host of fantastic seasonal deals for you to make the most of the festive spirit in your venues, helping you to drive up sales and profits as we head towards 2025.

As the world becomes more environmentally conscious we have focussed on brands who have strong environmental credentials and also the increased popularity of veganism. With November being World Vegan Month it is the ideal time to promote your vegan drinks and we have included some of our favourite vegan drinks.

Spirit sales soar during November and December – so get in the ‘Christmas Spirit’ by choosing the best selection. Stock a good range of vodka, brandy, whisky, liqueurs as well as gin of course!

Early planning and promotion of your seasonal offer is crucial to your success throughout the festive period. Our category advice focusses on how to motivate your staff ready for the Christmas and New Year period. Stock up, promote early and create a fantastic atmosphere for your customers to ensure your venue is the ‘go to’ place. Finally, we’d like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all our

valued customers for your trade throughout 2024 and wish you continued success during 2025.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Vegan Drinks Promote Your

Throughout November & December

The vegan alcoholic drinks market is growing at pace. As the world becomes more environmentally conscious, veganism has increased in popularity. It is important to engage with plant-based customers like never before in your venues.

In dietary terms, veganism is the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals*

*https://www.vegansociety.com/

NOVEMBER IS WORLD VEGAN MONTH - AN IDEAL OPPORTUNITY TO PROMOTE YOUR VEGAN DRINKS RANGE!

DID YOU KNOW...? DID YOU KNOW...?

Most German beer has been vegan since the 16th century due to the German Beer Purity Law which limits the ingredients to water, barley, malt, yeast and hops.

The legend of the tequila worm - Did you think that tequila isn’t vegan because of the little mezcal worm kept in the bottom of the bottle? This isn’t true and tequila is vegan.

FLAG UP YOUR VEGAN OPTIONS DURING NOVEMBER

VEGAN CHRISTMAS COCKTAILS

Fortunately for all the G&T and spirit lovers, nearly every type of spirit and liqueur including vodka, gin, whisky, and rum is vegan! There are exceptions in cocktails and flavoured spirits such as honey added to whisky, or milk in Baileys. You can still offer vegan cocktails to boost your margins this Christmas

Here’s our festive favourites:

SUPPORTING A GREENER FUTURE

Our featured brands are all adapting operations for greater efficiency, setting net-zero climate targets and introducing new types of packaging to help achieve their environmental goals.

Mobilising the global organisation on the path net zero impact renewables suppliers to reduce scope 3 carbon emissions

Launching global circularity strategy packaging

Carbon reduction investment

Reimagining packaging

Water and biodiversity

How to Motivate Your Staff Over the Festive Period

The Festive Season is the most crucial trading period of the year for hospitality venues. While you’re planning and preparing, it is important to remember that this can be a stressful time for your staff with additional pressures from high customer expectations and increased footfall. To ensure a success, make sure to put your people first.

RECRUIT EARLY

• You will most likely need to hire temporary staff over the festive season. Start this process as early as possible to help find the most suitable staff for your venue.

OPTIMISE STAFF SCHEDULING

• Create a staff rota that is fair and considerate.

• Consider asking for volunteers to work Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day as a starting point.

• Avoid overtime wherever possible to maintain a good work/life balance for your staff.

• Always make sure your busiest shifts are well covered.

COMMUNICATE WITH STAFF

• Keep your staff engaged and enthusiastic with strong and open communication. Keep them up to date with festive plans and rota changes.

• Make sure you are approachable to your staff to offer support when needed. Maintaining a good support network for your team will encourage commitment, enthusiasm and support their mental wellbeing.

• Check in with your staff regularly. Encourage them to discuss any issues so they can be addressed.

TRAINING & TEST RUNS

• For food venues, having a test run will allow your chefs to see what dishes work well and what can be easily replicated during busy times.

• With heightened consumer expectations, thorough training as well as clear processes will help your team to handle any potential difficult interactions with confidence.

OFFER INCENTIVES & SUPPORT

• Plan a post-Christmas party for your staff - something for the team to look forward to and a great way for staff to unwind after the hectic festive period.

• Ensure that your tipping policy is fair and transparent. You may divide tips evenly between all staff members, recognition of staff on specific shifts or rewards for standout performers.