Training and marketing on menu as Old Monk's profits rise

The Old Monk Company is boosting its marketing, promotion, training and food menus to support its ambitious expansion plans.

It intends to increase the number of Springbok bars, which have a South African sports theme, from six to between 40 and 50.

Reporting an increase in profits, chairman Gerry Martin said the brand would now be the main driver of growth for the company.

The Springbok chain has expanded most recently to Wigan, Cardiff and Newquay and is producing "fantastic returns".

Mr Martin said: "We have exchanged contracts on two further Springbok sites in Preston and Cheltenham, and we are currently in advanced negotiations on several more potential developments."

The company's core brand is the Old Monk pub chain which continues to expand after new sites opened in Manchester, Cardiff and Wood Street in the City of London.

Mr Martin said: "Head office support for our pubs continues to improve, and during the year the company has introduced more training courses, both in-house and externally, to staff at all levels."

He said this was particularly aimed at building up a strong team of assistant managers who would be ready to run the new bars and pubs as they opened.

"Levels of marketing support have also been improved and increased and, as the company opens more pubs with late licences and has greater coverage of major sporting events, promotional support will be raised," Mr Martin said.

"New and improved menus are being rolled out in both Old Monk and Springbok brands this summer and this should have a positive effect on food sales in the coming months."

The company's underlying profits for the year to April 28 were up by 32 per cent to £1.7m after turnover rose by 30 per cent to £24m.

The sites opened or acquired during the year had an average customer area of nearly 5,000 square feet and produced average sales of over £30,000 per week in the second half of the financial year.