Six months after taking over operational control of 1,900 pubs from Punch Taverns, Star Pubs & Bars is launching a series of nine regional forums around the country throughout October, culminating in a national forum in Amsterdam.
The forums are designed to listen to licensees’ views about their needs and to share best practice, with presentations on industry trends and latest market insight. The events aim to help attendees grow sales in their pubs and bars, and to provide a chance for operators to meet up with others in the trade.
The company’s operations directors, BDMs and members of its leadership team will attend, giving licensees direct access to senior colleagues.
Kicking off this week, the day-long events will include: table discussions; formal votes on key issues; presentations on industry trends, premiumisation and social media, as well as evening social activities ranging from comedy to casino nights. An accompanying trade show will showcase suppliers and provide special offers and business building ideas for Halloween and Christmas.
Voting results on key issues will be collated to give a national perspective on licensees’ thoughts and concerns. Great retailing ideas and suggestions for new support Star Pubs & Bars could provide will also be captured. The feedback will be used to refine the existing help Star provides and to create new programmes to meet licensees’ changing needs.
Lawson Mountstevens, Managing Director, Star Pubs & Bars, said, “It’s essential the support we provide adds value for our licensees. The national forums have provided a great opportunity for them to tell us what they want and for us to share the latest developments and research that will help create outstanding pubs.
'We’ve taken past feedback and delivered initiatives on the back of it, everything from a deal with SIBA and a wider cask range to a new Energy Saving Scheme. Extending the forums to more licensees in our enlarged estate is central to continually improving the way we work and meeting our ambition to build Britain’s Best Pub Company.”
Award-winning licensee Dianne Irving of the White Mare in Beckermet, who attended Star’s national forum in 2017, added, “The forum was brilliant, not only in terms of the topics it covered but having some quality time to sit down and talk with other people who are in the trade. It made me think about what we do in our own pubs, and I left with three or four key things to take back and implement straight away.”