LEE PRILE —SUPPORTING OUR OWN BRANDS...

We caught up with Lee Prile, General Manager at The Gardeners in Chelmsford, who won a ‘Beer Pub of the Year’ award at the recent Greene King Pubs Conference…

Lee had exceptional sales growth in 2023, and is continuing to now build sales year on year. Lee is proud to look after his ales to ensure his guests get a consistent pint every time. Staying close to brand news, Lee swapped Old Speckled Hen for Abbot on stick two last year when it received gold at The Champion Beer of Britain awards which his regulars loved! Cask at The Gardeners is up 72% Year on Year and OBV is up 69%!

Congratulations on the award Lee, can you give us an insight into how you and your team drive our own beers at The Gardeners?

For me it’s all about quality and being able to offer the perfect pint every time. To do this, I had to ensure my cellar was cleaned to a high standard and all necessary equipment was available for my team. I also recognised that I had to increase the sales of cask to keep the beer fresh – I knew we could offer a good pint so I pushed the Cask Ale collector card and the CAMRA 10% discount heavily both in house and via social media. I also used the Cask, Craft and Cider festival to push our own beers which worked well.

How has the support on cask ranging contributed towards your sales growth?

It was great to have more direction but knowing the flexibility is there as every pub is different and is catering to different needs. Once my cask sales had already increased it was great to have the opportunity to offer a guest ale on my third stick so I could offer variety for the more concerning real ale drinker. For example, when Abbot Ale won gold at the Champion Beer Awards I put this on – it was a great talking point and was received very well. I also had the opportuntiy to experiment with seasonals which was great and offered something different alongside those that my drinkers are familiar with.

Why do you think it’s important to advocate for our own Greene King beers?

Greene King is a brewery and a pub company in the UK that still brews its own beer. I think this needs shouting from the roof tops and it’s important to let our customers know they are drinking good quality beer that is brewed by Greene King!