OnTrade Scotland Magazine - March Edition 2021

ontradescotland.co.uk

ON THE ROAD OUT Magazine Magazine March 2021

Official Partner

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M A R B E L L A

Welcome to the March edition of OnTrade Scotland.

So we have been given the road map or at least the the powers believe is a road map top the opening of the sector.

In this edition we continue to look at inspirational businesses and owners in our country that like many of you are trying everything they can to stay positive and safeguard their businesses, staff and communities the best way they know how in the face of adversity.

We hope now that we have some kind of understanding that the brands & suppliers continue to support as much as they can as we all look to reignite the industry.

We would like to thank our partners at Gilson Gray LLP and legal director Joanna Millar for their continued support and the fantastic insight they are providing to many across the industry.

We would also like to thank all of our commercial partners & everyone that has provided their time and input for their continued support of ourselves & the trade as without you the title would not be possible in these challenging times.

Stay positive Stay strong We will get through this …. TOGETHER Thank you for being part of the #OnTradeFamily

Justin Wingate Director at TopGunMedia For press enquires or advertising opportunists please call or email: Email: info@topgunmedia.co.uk Telephone: 0141 556 4111

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All the latest Industry News

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The Contini Way

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Out n About

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School of Booze

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Industry News KAUAI HEALTHY EATING MISSION

Today KAUAI UK & Ireland operates under the multi-brand food group WellnessBrandsEurope Ltd, with the mission to make healthy eating easy and accessible.

The focus is on real foods, which are foods that are

free of harmful, synthetic chemicals. We have not only re-looked our entire healthy food ecosystem, but we have also renewed our focus on customer service excellence, which is highlighted in our new slogan “Made Naturally. Served happily”. At KAUAI we are passionate about health and wellbeing and we promise to deliver nothing but the very best in food and nutrition.

Serving the best quality seasonal ingredients means we bring to our customers real food that is, where possible, free of GMO’s and has no additives, preservatives, artificial colourants and flavourants. We are committed to maintaining a supply chain that supports farmers using sustainable practices and to locally sourced fresh produce where possible We’re aiming to inspire a ‘real food’ revolution, where KAUAI is the ‘better place’ to be. We make health and healthy eating habits accessible and exciting. We believe in: Nutritional superiority Ethically sourced, Fair Trade produce Authenticity and Freshness Energy and Theatre.

UKHOSPITALITY OUTLINES SAFETY OF THE SECTOR AND CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO MAKE HOSPITALITY CENTRAL TO REOPENING PLANS A new report on the safe reopening of hospitality, commissioned by UKHospitality from analysts CGA, shows that businesses in the sector were not significant areas of COVID transmission in 2020 and argues they should be central to reopening plans in 2021.

According to the study: • The UK hospitality market saw a staggering 54% fall in sales in 2020, equivalent to £71.8bn in sales lost versus 2019 • Hospitality was not a significant area of COVID transmission in 2020 • It will not be responsible for significant transmission in Spring 2021 and beyond • Reports linking the Eat Out to Help Out scheme to a rapid rise in COVID cases were linked to a single, discredited study Hospitality is uniquely well placed to maintain and enforce Covid-19 mitigation measures and should not be held back from reopening - it should be seen as equally high priority as non-essential retail and next in line after priority sectors such as schools.

UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “The result of the lockdowns and the restrictions placed on the sector last year was crippling. Business was devastated to an extent hitherto unimaginable.

Many businesses are barely surviving and cannot afford another year with restrictions on the scale of 2020.

“Reopening has to be done correctly at the first time of asking. A barrier to that could be the incorrect assumption that our businesses pose a risk to public health. We know that hospitality businesses are safe and all the data has shown we are not a significant area of transmission. This report is a vindication of everything we have been saying and a forceful argument for allowing us to reopen and welcome back our customers.

“Hospitality can lead the economic recovery of the country. We can provide jobs to people who have lost them and host millions who are desperate for some enjoyment after a torrid year. This report shows we can do it safely, too. The Government should take note and ensure it allows hospitality to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.”

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Brand News COCA-COLA & KATY PERRY LAUNCH A CHARITY CAMPAIGN Coca-Cola’s ‘Open To Better’ campaign, global pop icon Katy Perry has announced that thousands of her personal resolution cans featuring her pledge for 2021, will go on sale with 100% of proceeds going to the ONE Campaign.

Complementing a series of further positive and lighthearted resolutions to help inspire people to pledge to do things differently in 2021, the cans will go on sale from today, enabling fans the chance to purchase the limited edition cans, with 100% of their purchase price going to ONE. “I Promise to Meditate” is Katy’s simple but authentic resolution that she plans to commit to in 2021 and is something the global star believes will make a real difference to her life and help her to prioritise what is important to her.

Katy explained: “For me, the theme of 2020 was ‘resilience.’ I’m sure I’ll need to carry that into 2021

as well, but now that we’ve entered a new year, I am going to continue to be ‘Open To Better’.

Limited-edition packs are available to purchase instore whilst stocks last, as well as via the following platform www.coke.co.uk/opentobetter

£50K REVENUE OPPORTUNITY FOR HOSPITALITY VENUES

TAKE THE POLL - WHERE DO YOU FEEL SAFER? Following on from a report issued , we would like to know your thoughts.

Do you feel safer going to a hotel or restaurant where all guidance measures like trace and protect, and care is taken, or going to a retail environment like a supermarket or one of the big retailers

Feed It Back shows how pubs, bars and restaurants could secure a boost of £50k in revenue per year by learning how to turn passive guests into promoters.

Hospitality venues that turn ‘passive’ guests [those with a Net Promoter Score – or NPS - of 7 or 8] to become ‘promoters’ [those with an NPS of 9 or 10] will increase spend per head as well as frequency of visits in the long term.

Feed It Back analysed data from 137 venues across multiple brands for two months to gather insight on how converting more passive guests can result in an uplift in both revenue and loyalty.

The data shows how visit frequency and brand advocacy go hand-in-hand. Results revealed that the majority of guests who visit venues weekly are promoters (87%) however, less frequent visitors are more likely to be passive. For example, of those who visit venues only once every 3 to 6 months, 20% are passive and 72% are promoters. In addition, promoters spend £2.73 per head more on average than passives.

According to the data, operators that can convert 200 passives each month to become promoters could unlock £50k a year in extra visits and increased spend.

Where do you feel safer going to? A hotel/ restaurant for a meal, where guidance, trace and protect systems are in place, and staff are trained properly, or a supermarket/high street shop Follow the link below take 2 seconds to complete , also please share as many places as possible. https://poll.app.do/licensed-premises-unlockpathway

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Remember pints?

Please drink responsibly

The humble pint.

568ml of cold, liquid gold.

Worth the wait at the bar, new or old.

The sticky tables and the wobbly stools.

The couples chatting and the groups of fools.

Scanning the taps and list of beers, ‘Mine’s a lager, thanks. Cheers’.

Be it sat solo or handing out your round.

Savouring sips or accidental spills to the ground.

That moment of quiet when most needed.

A tough swallow after the third goal conceded.

To the rounds of cheers!

Celebrations or commiserations.

Or the one in the airport en route to a tropical destination.

Sat in the sun, or a dimly-lit pub.

Torn open crisp packets, and microwaved grub.

But what is a pint without someone to drink it?

Alone or together. Sober or blethered.

Here’s to the post-work pint drinkers, guilty of turning a ‘quick one’ into four.

The friends who live for Saturday sessions, and being the last ones out the pub door.

Those dusting themselves off for Sunday’s hair of the dog, telling themselves that’s the last night for a while on the grog.

To the round-dodger; always thirsty but never at the bar.

To the one who’s had too many, everyone watches from afar.

To the first-timer, not yet accustomed to the taste. (‘How do people sink these?’)

It’ll come after a few more tries, no need for haste.

To the craft dabbler, always coming back to what he knows.

To the ‘I’ll drink anything’, taking whatever goes.

As the bell rings for last orders, we’re all drinking up.

This delicious golden liquid, from the bottom of our cups.

Never will we take pubs and pints for granted again, Meet you back at the bar, as soon as they tell us when.

Gold Award Winner for Best Lager at the 2020 Scottish Beer Awards

Family Food & Community the Contini way Whilst in a large very expensively constructed building in Edinburgh a group of individuals make announcements and make decisions to deal with a pandemic in a way that seems hell bent on destroying the hospitality industry you would think that this would have killed the spirit of the community and the owners of venues across the city, however the determaniation and resolve shown by the majority has been simply amazing.

One such group that embodies this spirit is the Contini Group and the owners Carina and Victor.

The long established family business have like many really felt the pinch on a number of fronts, however speaking to the fantastic Carina it is very clear that staying positive and looking to what can be done rather than focusing on the negative is the mantra of the business at all levels.

Each of the venues in the group have a different experience and have had their own unique challenges from the flagship Contini George Street opened in 2004 to The Scottish

Cafe & Restaurant at the Scottish National Gallery on Edinburgh’s bustling Princes Street and Cannonball House at the very top of the Royal Mile all offering a different dining experience, but all based on fantastic service and a community approach.

We spoke with Carina to understand her thoughts on a number of topics from what support they have had, to what keeps them going? And the companies plans for moving forward.

Carina told us: “We’re proud to call ourselves Italian Scots and the best way to prove this is by having somewhere to serve great food. In 2009, we opened The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant at the Scottish National Gallery on Edinburgh’s bustling Princes Street. Here we’re passionately committed to sustainable practices and buy direct from a trusted network of over 70 Scottish artisan suppliers. We’re proud to be a hard working family business blessed with wonderful staff and suppliers. In fact we still buy from some of the producers our grandparents worked with. Tradition and taste really make our business what it is.”

“We change our menus to reflect the seasons across all our venues to keep them fresh and exciting. These are supplemented by produce from our own one-acre Kitchen Garden on the outskirts of Edinburgh which provides us with herbs, vegetables and berry fruit.”

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“In 2014 we embarked on a new food adventure with Cannonball House at the very top of the Royal Mile. Here we have created a real destination Scottish restaurant with an iconic backdrop that serves the best Scottish food with stunning views of the Edinburgh skyline and our next door neighbour Edinburgh Castle. Cannonball was quickly named winner of the Eating & Drinking Guide “Newcomer of the Year” and “Best Restaurant Experience” as part of the Visit Scotland Taste Our Best Awards What are your veiws on the current situation across the sector?

“We have to have rates relief for another year with a fresh look at a new rating system. What we have at present isn’t serving anyone well. Vat must stay a 5% until social distancing has been removed and we need government direction on rent debt. Businesses that have not been legally permitted to trade and haven’t had business interruption insurance payouts to support their costs need regulation to keep them trading. We will need hospitality for our economic and our social recovery. Our values financially and emotionally can’t be underestimated” How have you found the supporty and engagment from your suppliers over the restrictions?

“Our suppliers have been wonderful. I’m just so sad that the orders we’ve given them hThe Scottish Cafe & Restaurant at the Scottish National Gallery on Edinburgh’s bustling Princes Street. Here we’re passionately committave been so small compared to normal. We are people businesses and we buy from people we like. People that like each other support each other in tough times, knowing the good times will return.

From our larger suppliers like Campbell Prime Meats and Liberty Wines to our smaller suppliers like Carroll’s Heritage Potatoes and Peelham Farm, they are all part of our family. We are trying to share our purchasing across as many suppliers as possible so everyones gets a little bit of our Contini At Home offer.”

What are your plans as the restrictions are eased?

“I’m constantly surprised and amazed at how resilient our sector is. We really are tough. The hoops and hurdles (I’m being polite) we’ve been asked to go through since March 2020 have shown the fantastic capabilities and adaptabilities our sector has. I wish the government would acknowledge this and stop asking us to dig even deeper, there are limits that even we’ll struggle to face sooner or later.”

What has been the biggest impact to the business over the last year?

“I don’t like to think about the impact as it’s too massive to process. I’m sad when I think of our team that we have had to let go. I’m sad when I think of customers that we’ve not seen for months and hope they are well. I continually focus on the positives. I’ve loved having my family around us. My children will be more robust as they have seen another side of life. Yes things have been tough but we must keep this in proportion and count our blessings.

Covid hasn’t cost us the lives of any loved ones. Good times will return that challenge has been to make sure we’re there when it happens.”

Interview conducted by Justin Wingate Contini At Home can be accessed at www.contini.com/ contini-shop-uk

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Love for football provides support for venues and charity Bars for Bears Ltd was set up over 2 years ago and became a Ltd co in 2021 has been raising funds for numerous charities over the lockdown specifically bars and venues connected to Rangers Football club all over the world from Dubai, USA, Spain, Greece as well as the UK totalling over 50 venues.

The aim of the company was initially the was to connect supporters to bars and venues they could meet up with fellow fans and watch the matches and grew to providing competitions and fund raising activities for charities.

Company director Suzanne Milligan as well as being a fan, has a real passion for helping people come together and providing help for those in need.

Suzanne left Ayrshire and moved to Glasgow where she knew no one, and her way of being able to meet friends was through her love of football.

This endeavour lead her to understand how challenging it was to find a bar or venue that supporters of the same club could meet if you were not from the area.

The charity work began because Suzanne wanted to do something to support her sporting hero Fernando Ricksen raise funds and awareness after the star was diagnosed with motor-neuron disease. The fund raising involved and has now blossomed to providing thousands of pounds supporting a number of charities and showing support to numerous venues.

Suzanne told us how the pandemic has effected the venues she works with: “Covid has really hit them hard not being able to go to bars to or venues to watch the games, people think that going to the bar is to go on the lash but many of the people that go to the football it is a release for them for the daily grind and to meet with friends and for company “ “Most of the venues have taken this time to update the venues and refurbish investing thousands of pounds to improve facilities,providing food solutions and more their positivity in a challanging time has been an inspiration.”

Suzanne to us her focus, “ I wanted to create a community and a network for fans to share stories and memories from all ages, to provide support not just for football, but through a shared love of football provide much needed mental health support to people of all ages on in a forum that they trust and can associate with.”

One of the events that the business has organised is a charity football match between Allstars Charity Squad from Fleetwood V Rangers FC Select at Tinto Park – provisionally

booked for 14th Aug 2021. the event has drawn a host of big name former players like Marvin Andrews, David Roberson, & Andy Little as well as reality tv star and venue owner Brian Mathews and many more.

With over 10,000 followers now on the companies Facebook page the event will no doubt provide fantastic and much needed support.

Oddette and Jimmy Hume Owners of The Red Lion Berwick told us what the Bars For Bears has meant to them,”Whats kept us going is our customers and the great messages of support.

We have found the support of the venues from government is insufficient bars for bears have been great for us in providing a source of customers and awareness that we would not normally have had.”

Oddette will be raising money by doing a sponsored 66,000 steps a week walk in memory of the 66 people who died in the Ibrox disaster with all proceeds going to a mental health charity.

“The government need to be doing more to support venues like ourselves, we and other venues like ourselves are at the heart of communities and provide a real service to the public in bringing communities together especially in rural and suburban locations outwith city centres.”

Ottette continued, “we have been open for 5 years in May and can accommodate 140 people safely and are always busy when the football is shown it is a major revenue stream for us and many other venues.

We have had a lot of support from our customers over the lockdown period,older members are desperate to meet friends, watch the football we really a community and we have invested over £10,000 to make improvements and incorporate safety measures when we are allowed to open.”

Suzanne is also doing her bit by pleading to do a sponsored weight loss to lose 55lbs with all proceeds going to mental health charity Back Onside.

You can connect with the company and Susanne at We Are Bars For Bears on Facebook where you can find out more and get involved in any of the charity work alternitivly you can email Suzanne directly at suzanne1463@icloud.com to donate or ask any questions.

The charities currently being supported are: The Jermain Defoe Foundation Michelle Henderson Cervical Cancer Trust Back Onside – Mental Health Service #supportthroughsport

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MADE BY HAND FOR GENUINE CHARACTER

VISIT U S AT B EN ROMACH.C OM

EN JOY RE SP ONSIBLY

We are continuing to celebrate the great work you as venues are doing during this challenging time to adapt and still supply great food and drink to your customers.

We have received an overwhelming number of images and shares of the takeaway offering you have and we have loved sharing them with your potential customers through our social channels.

KEEP THEM COMING.

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ontradescotland

OnTradeScotland

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Preparing for (new) normality and incorporate that into your new operating procedure.

Regardless of the uncertainties to come, there are certain essentials that you will need to look at before being able to dream of opening the doors and welcoming back your customers.

In this article, we are looking at the practical steps you can take and what documentation needs to be in place to minimise the possibility of your business being targeted by your local Environmental Health Officers or the Police.

HEALTH & SAFETY

Graham Millar gmillar@gilsongray.co.uk

As we approach the anniversary of the first lockdown, something that we perhaps thought was an unnecessary panic and would be over in a few weeks, has turned out to be one of the most significant issues of this generation.

Whilst there are some reasons to be positive, given the speed and effectiveness of the vaccination programme, those businesses in the hospitality sector again will bear the brunt of measures that will require to be implemented, but without much guidance on exactly what is expected by way of measures to implement the will of the Scottish Government.

We are aware of some anecdotal evidence of the differences of interpretation between the various local authorities, Environmental Health Officers and the Police.

That makes it very difficult for any business within hospitality to be confident about the particular social distancing or protective measures that you are taking as a business. What might cause an issue in one area, may well be perfectly acceptable in another.

Equally, as the ability to detect the virus becomes much quicker and much more effective, the assumption is that for any business within the hospitality you will be expected to embrace this new technology or scientific advancement

As you already know, you have a duty of care firstly to your staff and secondly to your customers to ensure that when they come to your premises, they are not being exposed to a potential risk of illness or injury – to that we can now add infection. What that means is reviewing and revising your risk assessments. Whereas before the risk assessment would take account of the possibility of trip and slip, manual handling, working at heights and so on, you now need to add the category of infection control. This is something that will be used to those operating commercial kitchens, but it now needs to cover the front of house.

You need to in effect walk through your premises to ensure that any points of potential contact or infection are being considered and dealt with. Whether it is ensuring sufficient sanitisation points are available to all staff and customers, or turning ordering into an online activity, rather than handing out menus, or decreasing the number of tables in your premises to allow greater distance between people, it is up to you to take the necessary steps and record that in your risk assessment.

Your risk assessment is meant to be a living document, so as and when there is an ability to carry out simple infection tests and get immediate results, then perhaps you should look to incorporate that into your risk assessment.

Make sure that all your staff are aware of this risk assessment. There is no point in spending the time and effort on creating a robust risk assessment if the whole thing collapses because one of your staff wasn’t aware of it. You need to create a clear audit trail showing not just the steps you’ve taken to adapt your premises, but your steps to communicate clearly with your staff and customers. Put it on the notice board; email it to staff; have a staff meeting which is recorded (even better if it’s by Zoom or Teams or any other such platform as it makes it much easier to record), whatever you need to do so that you can fully answer any question put to you by your Environmental Health Officer.

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Be aware that as well as complying with your legal duty to provide a safe working environment and safe system of work, a lot of this will be about creating customer confidence.

NO JAB – NO JOB There is an ethical and legal debate at present on whether or not employers are entitled to insist that their employees should be vaccinated, and if they are not prepared to do so, then they will be sacked.

This seems slightly over the top and vaccination of staff is only one of the measures you need to implement to satisfy the Scottish Government that you are taking all reasonable and necessary steps to prevent the spread of the infection.

By all means encourage your staff to accept the vaccine if offered, but don’t force them to do so.

FAREWELL FURLOUGH

period of furlough leave, to make use of your ability to claim back the 80% from the CJRS. If not, then all your staff will have accrued an entitlement to holiday leave, which they can now carry forward for the next 2 years.

Planning ahead will be difficult, given the uncertainty about how quickly the customers will return, what measures you need to put in place within the premises which may limit the numbers able to come in to the premises, but you will need to look very critically at your staffing requirements.

If you feel you have too many staff, then there is a potential redundancy situation here and for any employee with more than 2 years’ service, then there is an obligation on you to follow a fair procedure and also an entitlement for them to receive a redundancy payment.

CONTACT US

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has offered a real lifeline to many businesses, but clearly that has to come to an end. The current end date is 30 April 2021, but we’ve seen it extended before and there is pressure being put on the Chancellor and the Prime Minister to extend this until everyone has been offered at least their first vaccine. Rather than hope for an extension, our advice is to plan now for this ending on 30 April 2021.

Our employment team has been heavily involved in assisting a large number of our clients in their strategic decisions post-furlough and creating and implementing action plans for any change to the staffing requirements.

We are happy to assist your business in terms of advising and assisting in terms of what process you need to follow, preparing the necessary documentation, considering your communication strategy and ensuring that sufficient time is given to putting the necessary steps in place.

Furlough has allowed businesses to largely put their staff into hibernation, but we now need to look again at what your staffing needs will be moving forward.

Hopefully you have been ensuring staff are taking holidays during any

Feel free to contact Graham Millar gmillar@gilsongray. co.uk in our employment department for a discussion about your issues. Also look out for our video updates on some of these important issues.

The right advice has never been more important.

We’re honoured to have been chosen as the exclusive partner of OnTrade Magazine Scotland. As one of Scotland’s full-service law firms we’re able to offer specialist legal, property and financial services.

We’re here to help in a time when support and clarity are needed most – offering valuable advice and insight on everything from licensing, business financing, employment and real estate.

Different people. Different approach. Different results.

To find out more please call Jo Millar on 0141 370 8116 or email jmillar@gilsongray.co.uk

EDINBURGH I GLASGOW I EAST LOTHIAN I DUNDEE

gilsongray.co.uk

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HEINEKEN UK LAUNCHES THE BENEFITS BAR AND THE PUB SOCIAL TO BOOST BUSINESS FOR UK OPERATORS

HEINEKEN UK has unveiled an exclusive network of insights, tools, advice and support to help operators boost every area of their business, called the HEINEKEN Benefits Bar As part of the HEINEKEN Benefits Bar, HEINEKEN has launched The Pub Social – a Facebook group open to all operators, where they can share experience and advice with peers, as well as access support from HEINEKEN and Star Pubs & Bars Committed to helping operators grow their business, HEINEKEN UK has a unique offering that will assist outlets through the reopening period and remind customers why they love the Great British Pub The HEINEKEN Benefits Bar is now open!

To help on-trade businesses recover and give them every opportunity for success this year, HEINEKEN UK has unveiled an exclusive network of resources available to its customers. Right now, licensees need a partner who has got their back and who understands the industry as well as they do. Because it never stops when you run your own business, so HEINEKEN want to take away some of the hassle.

The HEINEKEN Benefits Bar doesn’t serve refreshing drinks and hearty 18 ontradescotland.co.uk

lunches alongside a warm welcome. Instead, it serves a range of benefits that make running a pub easier and more profitable. The HEINEKEN Benefits Bar is built on industry experience; offering operators access to exclusive, dedicated customer support in all areas of their business.

Covering all elements of running a great pub, from sharing learnings of the Star Pubs & Bars network to the specially developed tools and technologies, all integral to boosting business and enhancing customer experience.

As the UK’s leading pub, cider and beer business, HEINEKEN is helping operators satisfy every customer, every time, and grow their business through five key areas of expertise underpinning its Benefits Bar: Doing business in the right way – HEINEKEN’s dedicated team and expert partners are always on hand to support you and grow your business. Brewing a better world is fundamental to everything at HEINEKEN, from growing 100% sustainable barley for their beer or local apples for their ciders to helping you serve the perfect pint.

Offering the right brands for you – Feel confident you have the right products for every customer, every time. Choose from HEINEKEN’s extensive range of drinks, whether it’s the number one cider brand, an on-trend craft beer, the latest premium mixer or one of their exclusive wines.

Serving pub expertise and insight – Access the latest market and consumer trends as well as HEINEKEN’s unique understanding through Star Pubs & Bars on everything it takes to run a great pub. Using industry knowledge and local market dynamics, HEINEKEN’s customer teams can share ideas, advice and pub expertise to meet your specific business needs.

Making things easier and more profitable – From marketing your venue to driving footfall to delivering a great customer

experience, HEINEKEN are continuously developing innovative technology and solutions, including the HEINEKEN Buying Club, SmartDispense™ and Swifty. Tried and tested in Star Pubs and Bars, these innovations are designed to help you save time, money and grow your business.

Hosting unbeatable experiences – Show your customers a great time through training, marketing support and events to make your bar and every pint you serve look perfect. From getting the basics right with lit founts and glassware, to tools like Hello BEER and POS Direct, as well as exclusive partnerships and sponsorships including UEFO EURO 2020; HEINEKEN can help you create experiences to drive sales.

As part of the HEINEKEN Benefits Bar, HEINEKEN UK has this month launched The Pub Social - a Facebook group open to all operators. This online community gives licensees the opportunity to share experiences, ask questions and get advice from peers, as well as real-time relevant support from HEINEKEN UK and Star Pubs & Bars.

With over 800 members already active on The Pub Social Facebook group, all operators can be part of this supportive community as they navigate reopening, new regulations and the changing needs of customers. Whether it’s sharing ideas for driving footfall, staying active within your community or just looking for recommendations, get honest feedback and learn from the experiences of fellow operators across the country.

The Pub Social joins HEINEKEN’s portfolio of business solutions designed to work seamlessly with everything your regulars already love about their favourite hospitality venue, while enhancing their experience. The HEINEKEN Benefits Bar utilises tried and tested insight and learnings from Star Pubs and Bars, making it an exclusive resource for operators to help their businesses thrive.

For more information on The HEINEKEN Benefits Bar and growing your business, visit: https://www.heineken.co.uk/our-pubs/make-heineken-your-supplier/ 19

Valentine Equipment Ltd Providing quality cooking solutions since 1957 Valentine Equipment offers the highest quality Swiss-made fryers and multi-cookers for professional foodservice operators all over the UK. Valentine has built a national reputation for innovation, durability, energy efficiency and sustainability and the Valentine brand is recognised around the world. Valentine fryers and multi-cookers are used and trusted by all sectors of the hospitality and food service markets, from local pubs through to Michelinstarred restaurants.

VALENTINE EVO FRYERS With their innovative design and Swiss build quality, the Valentine EVO fryer range has been designed by professionals for professionals. With every EVO fryer benefiting from easy-to-use controls and inbuilt safety features, this extensive range of fryers offers a dependable cooking solution to any commercial kitchen. The powerful element, along with the reduced size cool zone, increases the speed of the fryer’s temperature recovery, saving both oil and energy costs.

VALENTINE COMPUTER FRYERS Valentine have developed an exciting range of computer fryers that are fast becoming the new generation of automated cooking. Valentine’s latest range of computer fryers include both freestanding

and built-in options and offer 4 password protected cooking programs per pan, enabling even multisite operators to produce consistent results every time. With precision temperature control and the added automatic basket lift feature, users will see a reduction in food waste from overcooking and can rely on perfectly cooked food with minimal effort.

VALENTINE MULTI-COOKERS The Valentine multi-cooker provides the same Swiss build quality as the Valentine fryer range and can add flexibility to any commercial kitchen. With easy-to-use controls and inbuilt safety features, the Valentine multi-cooker delivers a simple to use, top-quality performance with minimal training or maintenance required. Easily adapted for cooking pasta, noodles or dim sum, the multi-cooker can steam, blanch, boil or poach to suit any menu.

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Training at the School of Booze OnTrade Scotland caught up with of School of Booze to discuss why training is such an important matter at present and the ongoing benefits to business and venues as well as brands moving forward.

We put the questions to Jane to help understand how everyone can benefit from the solutions.

What is the impact of the pandemic to you and the business?

Pre-pandemic, School of Booze offered in-person training and also corporate events which usually took place in private pub rooms. All in-person work stopped with the start of the pandemic. I had already decided to move some of my training work

online by having an e-learning platform for beer, cider, and wine knowledge, and so the extra time I had in lock-down gave me the chance to finish writing all the course content.

I also now offer video conferencing corporate beer, cider and wine tasting events. People are desperate to socialize in whichever way they can. It is no substitute for being together and socializing in a pub though!

What is the importance of training to venues especially since lockdowns have began and how you can provide that help?

When lock-down ends and the on-trade can reopen, venues will be competing to attract customers who have become used to home-drinking and socializing through video conferencing. As the prices in the

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on-trade are higher than home-drinking, customers will be expecting a premium experience of quality, service and knowledge from staff.

Table service will remain at least in the short term and that makes it even more important that staff know what they are selling and can advise customers especially if there is no written menu describing the drinks offering, and if customers are unable to stand at the bar to see what drinks there are.

It’s essential that staff are trained in what they are selling. Educated staff are good for business because they: • Perform better and have more confidence • Upsell to customers • Give customers a better experience so they spend more. Good is not enough in a competitive market. customer experience has to be excellent.

• Feel valued, are happier, enjoy their work more, stay in the job for longer meaning a lower staff churn.

School of Booze offers convenient and good value online courses in beer, cider, and wine, so staff have the knowledge to give customers a premium experience.

Why did you feel it was important to set up the business and provide the service?

All staff should know what they are selling and be able to engage and communicate about it with customers. A strong understanding of products is essential. There are existing drinks education opportunities, but they either entail sitting in a classroom for days or over several weeks, or they involve long bouts of on-line training at a specific time and date. The high prices charged can make them prohibitive for venues that want to make sure all their staff are trained.

There were no existing training opportunities that permit a learner to do the training quickly, online and on a date or at a time that suited them, and at a price that is not prohibitive. That’s why I set up the School of Booze online learning platform so

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people involved in the selling, serving, marketing, and drinking of beer, cider, and wine would be able to find concise, essential information that gives a solid foundation of knowledge and at a great value price. It was important to make the training courses convenient so people can learn where, and when they want to. The strapline for the courses is: ‘Your Device, Your Place, Your Pace.’

What are your plans moving forward for the business?

I recently launched the e-learning platform and am currently concentrating my efforts to sell the courses to the on-trade market. After that I will focus on the drinks retail & wholesale sector.

What venues are you working with?

I have only just launched the online learning platform but I am currently working with a small pub group in England (Gloucestershire) that has purchased beer, cider, and wine courses so their

entire staff is trained. I am just about confirm a national pub group to do the same, and I am in talks with a global beer & cider giant about their staff and customers taking the courses.

Customers value your business more if the staff are educated, they review it favourably on social media, and become returning customers.

Staff training opportunities attracts better job candidates. Better candidates means better customer experience, increased sales, and returning customers.

I have had and know of numerous experiences in pubs where the staff had no idea what they were selling and were unable to make recommendations; a staff member trying to convince me that cider and beer are the same thing; cask ale that had turned to vinegar, and the staff member refusing to accept it and claiming that it was meant to be sour. In all cases the pub lost custom because the customers involved did not return.

About School of Booze School of Booze provides online learning courses in Beer, Cider and Wine plus drinks consultancy, training and corporate events. The company was founded in 2008 by drinks educator, writer and broadcaster Jane Peyton.

Jane has won several awards for her work including Drinks Educator of the Year, and Lifetime Achievement in Beer from the British Parliament’s MPs and Peers in the Parliamentary Beer Group.

She has also achieved several ‘firsts’ including being the UK’s first certified Pommelier (cider sommelier) and the UK’s first Beer Sommelier of the Year.

School of Booze e-learning platform offers Beer, Cider & Wine courses, both audio & written, in everyday language, with three levels of learning and pass certificates. On Your Own Device, In Your Own Place, At Your Own Pace The levels are Foundation (Officer of Booze Enlightenment); Intermediate (Master of Booze Enlightenment); Advanced (Chief of Booze Enlightenment).

One course costs £50 (inc VAT) with discounts for buying bundles – £90 (inc VAT) for two courses, and £125 (inc VAT) for three courses.

Jane Peyton: jane@school-of-booze.com Telephone: +44 7729 601 590

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BDP Contract Furniture These are exceedingly difficult times we are experiencing, and the Hospitality Industry has been hit particularly hard, with many small venues facing threat of closure and many people are losing their jobs.

It’s not only the actual venues who are suffering the knock-on effect on suppliers to the industry are also finding things difficult. We have been able to take advantage of the furlough scheme, although not as much as it was in the first lock down as employers are still having to cover cost of the NI and Pension Scheme contributions, nevertheless it is very welcome. Not so for the Scottish Government, apparently BDP do not come under any of their ‘categories’ so we were not awarded any grants, very disappointing.

However, this does not stop BDP continuing to work closely with our valued clients and offering them our support wherever we can.

I look forward to better times soon when our customers can re-open their venues when it is safe to do so and try and re-coupe some of the massive losses the Industry has suffered.

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