KAM Insight’s Post

Help us to keep much loved pubs, bars and venues as the heartbeat of High Streets and communities!   As we eagerly anticipate the official start of the EUROs tournament today, which will bring a much welcome boost to our industry, we mustn’t lose sight of the continued pressures the hospitality industry, and Great British Pub, faces. Our sector is among the highest taxed sectors in the economy and Pubs pay up to four times more in business rates – the current 75% relief in England is a short-term lifeline and without an urgent and radical reform to business rates, many more pubs will be at risk of closure.   With the support of the British Pub and Beer Association, Stonegate Group have joined forces with over 80 industry leaders in a pledge to leading political parties for fair recognition of the value our industry adds to the economy and the support we desperately need to continue to do what we do best - invest in our fantastic pubs, bars and venues, invest in our teams, Publicans and Operators, improve and innovate to meet changing consumer taste and demands, and provide the community hubs that are the crucial and often invisible glue that bring people together.   We ask that you share this open letter, signed by over 80 leading pub and brewing companies, with your local Member of Parliament and help have a voice in allowing our sector to thrive again.  https://lnkd.in/eJJcutnt

Help us to keep much loved pubs, bars and venues as the heartbeat of High Streets and communities! As we celebrate the official start of the EUROs tournament (despite last nights result….!), which will bring a very welcome boost to our industry, we mustn’t lose sight of the continued pressures the hospitality industry, and Great British Pub, faces. Our sector is among the highest taxed sectors in the economy and Pubs pay up to four times more in business rates – the current 75% relief in England is a short-term lifeline and without an urgent and radical reform to business rates, many more pubs will be at risk of closure. With the support of the British Beer & Pub Association, Stonegate Group have joined forces with over 80 industry leaders in a request to leading political parties for fair recognition of the value our industry adds to the economy and the support we desperately need to continue to do what we do best - invest in our fantastic pubs, bars and venues, invest in our teams, Publicans and Operators, improve and innovate to meet changing consumer taste and demands, and provide the community hubs that are the crucial and often invisible glue that bring people together. We ask that you share this open letter, signed by over 80 leading pub and brewing companies, with your local Member of Parliament and contribute to our collective voice, asking for the recognition and support that will ensure our sector thrives in years to come. https://lnkd.in/eCP9FZiE

Lucky Saint and Greene King have come together this December to support balanced drinking options across UK pubs. 🤝 December is one of the busiest months for the hospitality industry, with more customers choosing options that fit their lifestyles. That’s why we’re proud to support the new partnership between Lucky Saint and Greene King, which will see 10,000 alcohol-free beers gifted to pubgoers this December. With 61% of UK drinkers saying they consume more alcohol than usual over Christmas and New Year, this initiative supports balanced drinking choices. Customers can also take the Drinkaware Drinking Check when claiming their Lucky Saint bottle, to support them to make informed decisions. Find out more about the partnership and participating venues here ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eqj2scAq

📢 Exciting Partnership Announcement! 🍻 Vianet Group PLC is partnering with a global brewing leader to roll out our Beverage Metrics draught beer monitoring solution across the UK. In collaboration with Oxford Partnership, this technology will deliver actionable insights into draught brand performance, helping the Brewer optimise operations and navigate market challenges. Key highlights: ✅ Phased rollout starting this quarter ✅ UK footprint expanding by ~5% in 18 months ✅ Strengthening our presence in the hospitality sector As our CEO, James Dickson, stated: "This agreement validates our innovative solutions and partnership-driven approach, creating opportunities for growth and delivering real value to our customers." #Innovation #Partnerships #DataSolutions #BeverageMetrics #Growth

Always a pleasure catching up with Wetherspoon’s founder Sir Tim Martin. You always learn something new from every conversation. So, what did we discover from our head-to-head interview on stage at the Casual Dining Show this week? • Front-line teams out in the pubs are the company’s eyes-and-ears. Feed-back comes from regular meetings with groups of GMs, as well as Tim being out around the 800 site estate. • Wetherspoon’s continues to invest in its people too - spending £30m-£40m in putting staff rooms in all its pubs, including separate male and female changing rooms. • Talking about the importance of staff retention, he said the business had an average of 14 people per pub who had been there more than five years. Who can match that? • Wetherspoons continues to open pubs, as well as disposing of others, especially in towns where they historically have had more than one. • Its recently opened £2.5m site at London’s Waterloo station is “going well so far”, but he added: “If we don’t sell a lot of beer in Waterloo station, I’m out of a job.” • And what isn’t Wetherspoon’s doing? It’s a ‘no’ to home food delivery as “the economics are not right” and a ‘no’ to own-brand Wetherspoon beer as “there’s so many other fantastic beers out there”. Wetherspoon’s is sticking to doing what it does best. And the quote of the day: “Pubs either go slowly forward or quite rapidly backwards.” You have to keep pushing hard. Until the next time Tim.

𝐉𝐖 𝐋𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝟏𝟎.𝟑%: 🍻 North west brewer and retailer JW Lees Brewery has reported six-week Christmas trading was up 10.3%, with like-for-like sales up 4.1%, non like-for-likes up 9.2% and new sites up 232%. Food was up 12.7%, with drink sales up 10.3% and accommodation sales down 2.7%. “This was owing predominantly to a slowdown in UK staycations and the closure of the port of Holyhead,” managing director William Lees-Jones said. “Since JW Lees has a number of hotels on the North Wales coast, these were disproportionately affected by the lack of traffic in and out of Holyhead over the festive season.” JW Lees has more than 49 managed pubs, inns and hotels and lets a further 87 pubs to JW Lees Pub Partners.

When we ask private clubs about profitability in their F&B operation, we often get a chuckle on the opposite side of the desk. "Sunk cost", "necessary expense", "required amenity" are common replies. Roster your private club with ClubBuy and we can bring your food cost down and balance your P&L.

This year as part of Dry January, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission is teaming up with Brown-Forman and Brown-Forman brands as well as dozens of local restaurants, to introduce New Hampshire Mocktail Month. This program is being launched to help establish a safer and more inclusive drinking culture in New Hampshire. As part of the program, The SAFE Bar Network will be providing training to all participating local hospitality teams on the skills needed to prevent forms of harm and overconsumption. The SAFE Bar Network has a very singular mission: to partner with bars, restaurants, nightclubs - really any venue that’s serving alcohol - and help them increase safety. Part of working hard at that venue becomes looking out for each other, looking out for your customers, and thinking about how you can be proactive to make sure that people have a great experience and keep coming back. Read more at https://lnkd.in/g9xp58Uf #DryJanuary #Bystander #SafeBarNetwork #SafeBar #SafeNightOut

SPB Hospitality maps out 2025: Breweries sold, and Krystal Restaurants LLC comeback begins. SPB Hospitality CEO Josh Kern and Krystal’s senior vice president of operations, Amanda Hyde, discuss the future of the company http://ow.ly/cnxs105XP4U

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