Autumn gardens: Fill that awning gap

Licensees are trying various methods to extend outdoor use.

It sounds like the perfect riposte to the contradictory British weather - the heated parasol. It's a "hot topic" at the moment, according to Melanie Suggett, marketing manager of Indigo Shading.

"Beer gardens and terraces have long been a seasonal part of pub life. Everything is packed up as soon as a cloud appears - and that kind of weather constitutes much of the British summer," she says. "But it doesn't have to be so. The al fresco drinking and dining experience is opening up in the UK as customers follow the example of their continental cousins and gravitate towards any available open space. Publicans can continue to collect profit from outdoor areas well into the autumn - and even winter.

"Heated parasols make sense of the unpredictable British climate so that you can literally make money out of fresh air," she continues, colourfully. "Umbrellas create a more open ambience - and the bonus is you don't have to worry about people smoking, which is very topical."

As well as heated parasols, awnings attached to the pub can also be used in most weather conditions, effectively extending your available space all year round. You can even add side curtains, creating an additional room at a more cost-effective rate than traditional building methods.

Indigo supplies a Swiss-made jumbo awning that projects five metres from the wall for up to 18 metres in length which it claims is the biggest awning available in the UK.

Its parasols are wind tunnel-tested to withstand a gale force six wind and heavy rain, which should be perfect for the British weather. Guttering is available to fit between parasols and create a larger area of unbroken covered seating.

Quartz electric heaters, which cost less than 10p an hour to run, can can be built into the parasol or attached to a wall. The parasol canvas traps the heat to make for a cosy atmosphere and walls can be added, creating a marquee-style structure - again minimising the effects of wind and rain.

Carol Nicholson, general manager of the New Northumbria Hotel in Newcastle, is pleased by the way parasols have contributed to the business.

"They are like an extra room. If it starts to rain, people don't have to rush inside. When it rains they really do use them as umbrellas," she says. "They keep the heat in and people can still sit outside during the milder nights of winter."

Indigo supplies parasols and awnings in the fabric of your choice from a wide range, and the covers can be sign-written with any logo or text. Awning frames can also be powder-coated to match corporate colours.

The company will not only install your awnings and parasols, but will work with a landscaping company to provide planting, decking and soft landscaping. It has also launched a range of complementary outdoor furniture.

Taking a little longer... in the Grolsch garden​

Summer 2004 may go down as one of the wettest in history but it demonstrated the growing impact of beer gardens on pub businesses.

Thanks to a combination of improved outdoor heating systems and much greater investment in improving the general ambience of beer gardens consumers are now able to follow the continental example and drink outside until later in the evenings, extending a pub's seating capacity for more hours of the day - and night.

Coors Brewers, through Dutch lager Grolsch, has been actively supporting licensees through its branded gardens, first launched in 2002.

"We have more than 300 accounts with beer gardens after investing £1.2m in the programme," says customer brand director Neale Lewis.

Central London bar One of Two has seen a substantial rise in business since it was kitted out with a Grolsch beer garden. "We almost doubled our seating capacity - from 200 to 380 - by setting up the garden," says manager Brendan Brockenshaw.

"We also have some in-built parasol heaters which means people stay in the garden for much longer instead of going somewhere a bit warmer. We are finding our sales, particularly of Grolsch, have increased dramatically."

With demand for Grolsch beer gardens growing fast, Coors intends to expand the programme still further in 2005.