Preparing to go smoke free

The pub industry has fought long and hard over the smoking band and, let's face it, we've lost. Or have we? Perhaps the final outcome won't be so bad after all.

As you can see below, Paul Howarth, who runs the Daniel Thwaites estate, has returned from Ireland in a positive frame of mind after seeing for himself the impact of the ban there two years on.

There have been casualties, of course. But the Irish had only a few months to prepare. In Scotland, where it's too soon to call, had a little longer, and with any luck pubs in England and Wales will have at least a year to sort out their strategy. In fact the trade is still pressing for that time to be extended.

There is a minority of the industry, though, which doesn't want to wait. Recent months has seen many pubs not only introduce more restrictions on smoking, preparing their customers for the full ban, but going completely smoke free before they have to. If it's going to happen, they argue, we might as well do it now.

These early experiments seem to have shown not only that smoking pub-goers have found the switch less traumatic than expected, but that there is a whole new customer base out there that the smoke-free pub can tap into. There are people, especially families, who have stopped going to pubs because of the smoke and they now feel able to come back.

This approach demands two strong health warnings, however.

Firstly, if you happen to be the first pub in your locality to go smoke free you will usually find a ready-made audience for your innovation. So there's a built-in advantage in going first.

But as Mitchells & Butlers' famous "Grimsby Experiment" demonstrated, if a number of pubs go no-smoking at once, there isn't yet the market for all to benefit, and about half will have to beat a hasty retreat.

Secondly, while the success of a smoke-free pub depends as much on the overall attractiveness of your venue as the facilities for those who want to smoke, it's clear that outdoor areas, even if it's only the doorstep, are vitally important.

Again, sections of the trade are already investing heavily in their gardens, patios and yards. But if you've not got too much cash to splash about, the advice is to hold fire.

The government is yet to produce the guidelines that will define, for instance, just what an outdoor area is. Spend money on a fancy structure to shelter your smokers and you might well find that you've only created another indoor area that will still have to be smoke free.

So the message is, as Corporal Jones might say, "Don't Panic". But there's a lot of value in considering your options and planning your strategy for when Air Warden Hodges tells you to "Put That Light Out!"

Thwaites' retail director Paul Howarth reports on his fact-finding visit to smoke-free Ireland​

The smoking debate has raged in England and Wales for some time, but with the decision now made it is clearly time for the industry to begin answering the inevitable questions about what impact this will have on their businesses.

Daniel Thwaites' sales and marketing director Brian Jenkins and myself recently travelled to Ireland to gain further understanding of how the ban has affected licensed premises in Cork, and how they are adjusting to life two years on.

It was a very interesting experience and one that brought with it a lot of learning points, one of which is that we should make maximum use of the 14 to 18-month lead time that we have been given to prepare for this move. Irish businesses had only four months from when the decision was made and that timeframe brought with it many complications and cost implications.

That leads me onto my main point, which is that businesses must really use this time and not sit back waiting for things to happen - it still amazes me that I hear people within the industry voicing the opinion that the ban may still be avoided. It won't, and the longer licensees wait with this hope in mind the less time they are giving themselves to adequately prepare their pub.

We are already beyond the point when people should be asking themselves whether they ought to be doing something, and are now onto the stage where the question is what it is exactly they should be doing? We are lucky in the respect that, with Scotland and Ireland, we have two great case studies of how a smoking ban really impacts on pubs and the repercussions from it.

Our visit to Cork showed there is no template solution to addressing the ban with each pub having very different internal and external layouts and, most importantly, a very different clientele. However, one thing that did shine through is that this should not necessarily be something that we all sit around dreading, but something that we treat with an optimistic approach as an opportunity to reach new customers and engage a wider audience.

Many businesses in Ireland told to us they had broadened their customer base since the ban, with a real growth in family trade driven by the cleaner environment and opportunity to dine smoke-free.

Although the details behind the regulations will probably not be available until late summer or early autumn, our approach will be similar to that taken with the introduction of licensing last year. We will be looking to use all our expertise and research on this topic to add value to our trading partnerships, support our licensees and ensure our pubs are ready in every way.

Ian Stead, managing director of marketing agency MDA, puts a positive spin on the smoke ban​

I firmly believe the ban is an opportunity for pubs to develop their businesses and win new customers. The use of new marketing techniques and equipment should at least minimise the impact of the change, and could actually open up new opportunities.

There are a host of new ideas in the pipeline for outdoor heating, furniture, bar merchandise, promotional and advertising mechanics and entertainment and, given a reasonable amount of outside space, there's no reason why intelligent promotions and a careful investment in materials shouldn't combine to keep both smokers and non-smokers happy.

Our discussions with drinks and pub companies have thrown up a number of common themes.

• Brush up your retail standards

Pubs need to raise their game to cope with the ban - in terms of environment, cleanliness, staff training and atmosphere. The industry should be concentrating on maximising appeal to the non-smoking majority, not the smoking minority.

Research undertaken by one pubco suggests that as many as 41 per cent of people who have never used a pub before would consider doing so once the ban comes into effect. When that new customer walks through the door you probably only have one chance to impress - and if they don't like it they won't come back!

• Think about outdoor areas

There are a host of ideas and opportunities out there. But bear in mind you may also need to provide segregated smoking and non-smoking areas outside - non-smokers deserve comfortable, attractive outside areas too, particularly in the summer.

• Use marketing to full effect

If you're a city centre bar and don't serve food you won't be able to compensate for the impact of the ban by suddenly switching to being a child-friendly family pub. So take advantage of any marketing help you are offered by your pub company or suppliers.

We expect there to be a rush of new marketing initiatives that will help you manage the change, such as drinks offers, merchandise, themed promotions and new event ideas to add the extra "wow" factor you'll need.

Do it right and you should be able both to maintain your existing business and perhaps attract new customers who might in the past have stayed at home.

* MDA is a specialist point-of-sale and promotional marketing company working with many of biggest names in pubs and drinks, including Punch Taverns, Enterprise Inns, Greene King, Whitbread, Pernod Ricard, InBev and Coca-Cola​