Golden time at the Fleece

When even your most ardent smoking customers are urging you to go smoke-free, then you know it is time to make the switch.

This was the situation which confronted Hamish Stoddart, director of Peach Pub Company and owner of the Fleece in Oxfordshire, when he surveyed customers last year.

"I chatted to our regulars and around 30 per cent of them are smokers," he says. "But even the heaviest smokers were saying they'd prefer it if we were smoke-free."

The reaction sparked an idea. The company was already planning a complete refurbishment of the Fleece - so why not make it smoke-free at the same time?

With work now completed, following a week-long closure, Hamish cannot believe there was any hesitation over making the decision.

Environmentally friendly ​

Around £50,000 has been spent on transforming the pub, including re-upholstering the furniture and installing a purpose-built heated canopy outside. The canopy is also environmentally friendly as customers have to press a button on the gas heater intermittently to ensure it stays hot. Pub manager John Johnston is glad the ban has been introduced.

"I'm actually an ex-smoker, so it's great," he says. "But we've had so many requests from people to ban smoking - so it was going to come."

So what reaction has John seen from a ground level so far? "People have been saying how fantastic it is. Some customers see it as a reason for them to stop smoking."

Another difference John has noticed is a change in clientele at the Fleece, a popular dining pub situated 10 miles outside Oxford.

"We've definitely seen different people coming in and customers are spending more at the bar," he says. "Young mothers who would previously sit outside with their children are now attracted by the healthy environment."

Other customers have even claimed that the changes have improved their love life. 'Smirting' (smoking and flirting) is beginning to become a popular past time.

"A couple of our female customers think it's great because they go outside for a cigarette with the added chance that they may get chatted up," says John.

Staff have also noticed the benefits. "Our staff really like it because they don't go home smelling like an ashtray and they are not suffering from red eyes," says John.

And with takings up by £2,000 in the first week of the new smoke-free Fleece, everyone involved with the business is smiling.

The only slight concern was smokers gathering outside the front of the pub being an eyesore, but so far, with the specially-built heated area, this has not been the case.

Peach is so delighted with the pub's transformation that it is now expecting to make in six out of its seven pubs smoke-free before the ban arrives.

And with a successful transformation of the Fleece, what advice would Hamish give to other pubs?

"I would say to licensees who are hesitating to go early, go for it. There are plenty of people who want to eat and drink in a smoke-free environment and publicans should not be afraid of making smokers go outside."