Geronimo lives on

Jumping headlong into the risky business of running a pub was exactly the style of Jo and Rupert Clevely, founders of Geronimo Inns.

Taking the name of an infamous native American Apache who waged war on 19th-century Arizona, may seem an odd choice for Geronimo Inns, but the firm's founders, Rupert and Jo Clevely, were attracted to the name because they felt it conjured up a sense of adventure.

Rupert had always had a soft spot for the name and liked the idea of running a business in the same way that you might shout "Geronimo" and jump in to face an exciting challenge.

"The name is about taking risks - although, for us, they are calculated risks," Rupert explained. "At the same time, we wanted a fun colourful name."

They both took a calculated risk when, without a background in the pub industry, they switched careers to develop Geronimo.

Jo, who had been working as a secretary at the Daily Telegraph, came into the industry despite being no fan of average town pubs, which she hated for being dark smoky alehouses.

"I wasn't a huge London pub-goer," Jo said. "It was hard in the late 80s and early 90s to find somewhere that had good value or an enjoyable environment, without costing ridiculous amounts of money."

So, nearly seven years ago, she decided to create the sort of pub that she wanted to go into. She teamed up with a friend, Nick Elliot, who ran a successful pub in the Cotswolds, and took on a lease from London brewer Young's.

They spent nine months transforming it from a backstreet boozer, which was taking only £2,000 a week - including no more than £20 a day in food.

They opened up the bar area, built modern toilets, replaced all the furniture and completely redecorated.

Jo, who continues to co-ordinate the décor of the pubs, also introduced a new rule - no Toby jugs, no horse brasses and no hanging baskets. While this approach has remained the template for all its pubs, Geronimo is still very much about community pubs.

"We want our pubs to have a very homely, warm feel," Jo said.

The new-look Chelsea Ram finally opened its doors in February 1995 and was such a success that Geronimo took on two more Young's leases over the next three years - the Duke of Cambridge in Battersea, south London, and the Queens in Primrose Hill, in north-west London.

As the business expanded, the Chelsea Ram was passed into the sole ownership of Mr Elliot, who left the rest of the estate in the hands of Jo and Rupert, who was international marketing director for wine giant Veuve Clicquot.

After the birth of their third daughter, Rupert scaled down his globetrotting to become managing director of Veuve Clicquot's UK business before finally quitting a year-and-a-half ago to concentrate on Geronimo full-time. It was a momentous decision for him since he had worked for the French company for 19 years and his father, John, had been managing director for 20 years.

By the beginning of 2000, he and Jo were running four pubs after taking on new London sites in Chelsea and Putney, and they were about to open more in Winchmore Hill in north London and Fulham in west London. The couple decided that they needed to give up a portion of their 100 per cent stake in the business to make sure they had the funds to expand.

They issued shares privately to outside investors and arranged new bank financing, which has allowed them to grow the estate to its current size of nine. Last year saw Geronimo arrive in trendy Clerkenwell, near to the City of London, and this year it expanded into Wandsworth in south-west London and opened a pub inside the Custom House Hotel, next to the ExCel exhibition centre in London's Docklands.

"The key for us is to grow, but we will only grow as long as we can make sure we have the same hands-on management and attention to detail in all those sites, so that we don't lose that family culture the business has now," Rupert said.

Most of its pubs are leased from Young's, Laurel Pub Partnerships and Unique Pub Company, but the most recent openings were free-of-tie long-term leases, which is what Geronimo is now looking for.

With Rupert and Jo now owning 72 per cent of the business, Geronimo is also renegotiating its debt finance to raise more cash for the future.

"We have a lot of plans and ideas but it's important that we consolidate and make sure that what we have works," Rupert said. "Then we can move on to the next stage and grow again."

In 1999, they were joined by a third director, Ed Turner, who left Bass Leisure Retail after 10 years looking after managed houses to become operations director.

Rupert said: "I firmly believe that we could run as many as 50 pubs, as long as the values of the company, the personal touch and the quality of the people are still there. It is important for us to have attention to detail and to spend as much time as possible in our pubs. I'm anal about it, but it's crucial."

Mr Turner has added that Geronimo could even swallow up another small pub chain in the future.

"There is an opportunity to go for a large purchase provided it is the right size and the right price. The world is our oyster," he said.

So far, Geronimo's strategy has produced profits and acclaim. One of its outlets has been named pub of the year by London's Evening Standard and another was a finalist in the newspaper's annual awards. The company has also won accolades in annual awards from The Times and The Daily Telegraph, while the Queens is one of the few pubs to have gained a Michelin rating.

This success has helped Geronimo to attract experienced staff. New recruits include the former manager of the rival Duke of Cambridge pub in Islington, north London, which was a winner in The Publican Awards last year.

"I like to think that people are interested in what we are doing and like our style of operation and want to be a part of it," Rupert said. "Staff turnover is relatively low.

"We want good people who understand how to operate a pub in a village atmosphere. We like people from completely different backgrounds, who are open to fresh ideas.

"We are increasingly empowering managers and make sure we have good quality people at the coalface to look after their own operations."

Despite the growth of the food-led gastropub, particularly in London, this isn't the market that Geronimo is involved in. Two-thirds of sales are wet across the estate and, while the food is of a high quality, it remains fairly traditional with prices starting at about £3 a dish.

With Rupert's background, there is inevitably an excellent wine list, which is constantly being refined by Rupert's father, John, who is a Master of Wine. Veuve Clicquot also continues to be a big seller alongside Geronimo's own house champagne.

The company hopes the Geronimo name has become a badge of quality.

"All our pubs have a slightly different style of operation", Rupert said. "But people can still expect good food, good service and a comfortable environment."

Geronimo Inns​