Tied to the dress-code

Is it the end of the tie for men? Nigel Huddleston and Rosie Davenport look at the changing face of the industry.

Two little words are destined to strike terror into the heart of any brewing or pub company male executive: "smart" and "casual".

The dress code for golf days, racing jollies and other informal events is paradoxically open to interpretation and yet locked into a rigidity all its own. Social embarrassment and a truncated career-curve await those who fail to choose just the right shade of slacks, shape of shoes or degree of polo-ness of casual shirt.

Dress-down days, with their unwritten mantra of "wear what you want as long as it's a proper shirt tucked into your trousers" (which, by the way mustn't be jeans - and this includes non-denim trousers with jean-type pockets) have only made things worse.

Thank heavens, then, for the other four weekdays when you can happily wear your Jasper Conran suit and tie, safe in the knowledge that no professional or social faux pas can possibly be committed. Or can they?

The dress code landscape is changing fast - witnessed by the scores of top brass willing to be photographed open-necked and "business-casual" (another nightmare phrase from the industry lexicon) to project an image of controlled conviviality and relinquished stiffness on behalf of their companies.

One traditional family brewer senior executive said recently he didn't feel ready for work until he was wearing tie.

We thought it was time to find out whether that view still prevailed across the industry or whether it was time for Tie Rack to start devising a new business plan.

Tradition in brewers' boardrooms

When it comes to standards of dress, it seems that Britain's brewers are a bit more conservative than the companies selling their beer.

The collar and tie is still considered de rigeur in the boardroom at Hertford-based regional McMullens - but that's mainly because the individuals concerned prefer it that way, according to production and sales director Fergus McMullen.

"In our boardroom everyone dresses in a collar and tie," McMullen says, "But I don't think I'd go bonkers if someone came in looking smart in an open-necked shirt."

But he'd draw the line at casual dress for face-to-face meetings with customers. "I couldn't appear dressed-down to sell my beer because it could give the wrong impression about the taste of the beer," he says.

McMullen personally feels that a collar and tie is "practical and sets a standard", and makes him feel more efficient as he prepares for a day's work.

He adds: "In winter, a tie is a good thing for keeping warm too, which is why they were originally worn in the old days."

It's a similar picture at Hall & Woodhouse, where wearing a tie is like a uniform. Brands marketing manager Rick Payne claims he

never strays from his tie, adding that the brewer does not have an official policy but that it's simply "called for".

Refresh UK managing director Rupert Thompson hasn't been afraid to present the "smart-casual" face of regional brewing in photoshoots, but says he has found himself gravitating to a more formal dress code in recent months.

"I don't know why," he says, "maybe it's just because I'm getting older.

"I do have some sympathy with those who say they need to wear a tie to feel ready for work, but from the day we founded Refresh in the middle of dotcom mania back in 2002, we said that no one had to wear a suit - and at first it was very motivating. But there are occasions when you have an important meeting and feel under-dressed by not wearing one."

Thompson says other executives in the business were free to wear what they liked, within reason.

He adds: "The only time we insist on a certain standard is when people are visiting customers, when we ask that they dress appropriately. That might depend on how the people they're visiting are dressed, and it's their job to find out in advance. If the customer's in a suit and you turn up casually-dressed it's a bit discourteous."

Liverpool's Cains Brewery joint managing director Sudarghara Dunsanj says the company tends towards an open-neck style for the office and a more formal look for work out in the trade.

He says: "We're a mixture, really. If we're out meeting customers, suppliers or even bankers - any external discussions - then we will wear ties. It's still a key part of things for us, though it's not the end of the world if someone doesn't conform. In the office, the code is not dress-down as such, because most men will still be wearing a suit, but usually without a tie."

At family brewers Theakstons, a formal dress code is still followed for board meetings and external ones. Managing director Simon Theakston says: "The board meeting is quite a solemn occasion because it's where important decisions are taken about the business, so we do still wear suits and ties.

"We've been going for 179 years and when you have that kind of heritage, your image is as much about a sense of respect for your forbears as anything else. If I'm going out into the trade, I will normally wear a collar and tie.

"Not wearing a tie and jacket is very much the modern fashion and I can see the attraction, but sartorial elegance is not just for personal comfort - it shows respect for other people."

For day-to-day work in the office though, the tie and jacket can happily be discarded, says Theakston.

At Budvar UK there's a similarly relaxed

approach, where business development managers visiting pubs are free to choose whether they wear a tie. However, chief executive Tony Jennings says he is never without his tie:

"It's become a habit - I don't think about it any more. Our business development managers generally wear ties, because our customers expect them to.

"But some of the newer reps feel more comfortable without one, so we leave that to their own judgement. Some licensees expect you to wear a tie - it can depend on their age. Personally, I'd rather people were over-dressed rather than under-dressed."

Pubcos go for casual approach

While the collar and tie may still hold sway in many of the UK's brewery boardrooms, the pubco fraternity takes an altogether more modern and relaxed approach, perhaps in keeping with the relative youth of an industry sector which only emerged in the 1990s.

"I never wear a tie," says Punch Taverns' marketing director Geoff Brown. "In the last year, I've probably worn a tie once, because I just don't feel comfortable. In fact, I would do absolutely anything to get out of wearing one."

Not that Punch demands that its staff toe the tie line. According to Brown, the pubco encourages staff to decide for themselves what the appropriate attire is for any given situation. "I can't remember seeing Giles Thorley (chief executive) or Francis

Patton (customer services director) wearing one. We encourage suppliers to feel able to dress anyway they think is appropriate when they come to see us. If they feel more comfortable wearing a tie that's fine, but I probably won't be wearing one."

However, he adds that you are more likely to see the company's business development managers with a tie.

"Most of them wear ties because they think that's what is expected of them when they are visiting pubs," says Brown. "But it does vary a lot by region, so in the south east it's more suit and tie than in the north of England say."

Thorley Taverns operations director Philip Thorley is also a firm believer in the "each to his own" approach when it comes to the work-place wardrobe.

"I believe everybody who goes to work should wear whatever feels comfortable while they are doing their job," he says.

Thorley favours the more casual look of an open-necked shirt. "I've dressed like this for about five years and I just don't feel the need to wear a tie to work at all now," he adds.

"They're beautiful pieces of silk that look great but they don't really serve any useful purpose. Wearing a tie doesn't

contribute at all to my ability to do my jo