Best Managed Pub Company (2 - 50 sites) sponsored by Molson Coors – Arc Inspirations

The business has adapted, remained flexible and opened sites amid a myriad of headwinds as restrictions eased.

While Arc has been operating for more than two decades and now has three brands (Manahatta, Box and Banyan), its cluster model means it touches a variety of demographics.

Finance package

A £14m refinancing package, including a separate £5m facility to help the group expand its site numbers earlier this year (January), followed Arc’s two openings of flagship sites – Manahatta in Birmingham and Box in Deansgate, Manchester.

The business, which has 18 sites currently, has a philosophy of being a high performing, commercially successful bar group, which lives to inspire its teams to bring guests the best drinks, food and to create memorable experiences for them in venues for all occasions.

Having been a finalist in this category, Arc impressed the judges this year with its dedication to remain innovative and flexible when times were really tough.

Celebrating team members’ success happens on numerous levels and the company aims to promote from within, in a bid to generate commitment and loyalty.

Future plans

Customer experience is constantly scrutinised and the business is always on the look out for how this can be enhanced with attention to detail alongside refinement of the product and marketing mix in venues and through tech innovation.

It invested in a dedicated booking system to help keep footfall high last year, proving to be a key part of Arc’s post-pandemic commercial success where it reported results for the financial year to 31 March, showing a rise of almost half (42%) in sales from July to November against 2019 figures.

With plans to open more sites in the coming months and expectations of a record year for sales and profit, the future looks bright for this vibrant and exciting business.