Stella Artois to run mobile School of Excellence in quality boost drive

Stella Artois is running a mobile School of Excellence for licensees as fears emerge that drinkers are switching lagers because of poor product quality.

Following extensive research into customers' drinking habits, the Interbrew brand is focusing on improving the quality and presentation of the beer in pubs and will be visiting sites around the country with a Stella tour bus to train barstaff.

It is hoped that around 11,000 outlets will be participating by the end of the three-year programme.

The research, during which around 3,500 customers were polled, suggested that the quality of a product is the second most important factor in the consumer's choice of drink and pub.

Fifty per cent of those asked said they would avoid ordering a brand again if quality was bad and 30 per cent said they would not go to a pub again if they felt they had been served a bad pint.

Quality ranked higher than both price and advertising in persuading customers to order a particular brand and 75 per cent of those asked said they would be prepared to pay more for leading brands.

Stella is spending £1million on thetraining initiative in the first year and hopes to continue it for the next three years. Licensees are invited to sign up to the School of Excellence, electing one staff member to attend a training session.

This representative becomes responsible for making sure staff are able to pour the perfect pint. Outlets will be provided with new branded glasses and point-of-sale-material.

Stella is also installing, where appropriate, Cool Line systems around beer lines to make sure the brand is served properly chilled, as well as glass rinsers and frosters.

Mystery drinkers will visit the outlets several times a year to check staff training or recommend retraining as necessary.

Brand manager Scott Lenik said: "Our consumer research shows that consistent, high-quality dispense is good for business. The evidence is that improving the quality of Stella Artois increases sales while enhancing the outlet's reputation. It also provides the opportunity for outlets to charge a premium for the brand."