Outside edge

As summer nears licensees should be choosing the most durable and comfortable outside furniture they can find. Graham Ridout reports

This summer promises to bring a return to normality and not the disastrous wet weather that blighted business last year. With the Met Office predicting a "typical British summer", the omens look good for licensees to make the most from people lounging around outside. It's not too late to start making sure the outside area is appealing to customers.

At Best Developments in Peterborough, managing director Graham Saggers confirms: "Now is the time that everyone is thinking about their outside areas, particularly in light of the smoking ban."

Saggers reports that his company's best-selling item is the Catalina - a self-stacking aluminium armchair with a weave pattern. At present, the Catalina is on offer at a significant discount, £19.95 compared with a normal selling price of £39.95.

Best Developments' MD also reports strong demand for its recently-introduced Ice chair, which he describes as having a "trendy Italian design". It is self-stacking and comes in a range of seven colours and costs £65 for a seat with arms, or £45 without arms. It is made from durable resin and has strong aluminium legs. "It is the

Ferrari of outdoor stacking chairs," enthuses Saggers.

In addition, Best Developments has a wide range of tables to complement its chairs and Saggers says tables with a flip top, which are easy to store, are proving very popular. The company offers a nationwide service from its Cambridgeshire base and quotes a typical period from receipt of an order to delivery of around three to four weeks.

Saggers warns licensees to consider carefully before making any decision on what to buy. "You can't be a cheap skate over quality. Don't go for interior furniture or cheap aluminium chairs that are not contract furniture. We've had people come to us because they bought cheap aluminium chairs where the legs buckled after a heavy person sat on them.

"Also, many plastic chairs sag or loose shape because they don't have a steel core. Any furniture must be able to stay outside all year round and last for years."

Westmead Contract Furniture says sales are encouraging given the poor weather and Easter arriving much earlier than most years. Westmead's Keith Jobson remarks: "A lot of pubs understandably wait for the sun to shine before committing to expenditure on outdoor equipment - that's when the sales phones start to get really busy."

He continues: "As with most outdoor equipment suppliers, we had a very busy time last year. We used to sell large numbers of gas patio heaters, but now we sell very few, despite the price almost halving in the past year. Customers much prefer the convenience and value for money that electric heaters now offer."

Westmead's mainstay, however, is its range of bench tables that are available in a choice of shapes, sizes, finishes and prices, including a table for wheelchair users or those with ambulatory difficulties. Jobson adds: "In recognition of the limited budgets that many pubs are now working with, we are currently promoting our popular Camelot eight-seater round table in a new finish called Woodland for £149.95 - the same price this table was sold for in 2004."

Jobson says licensees should ask their customers what furniture they want before shopping around for the best deals. He says hosts should ask elderly customers if they are happy sitting on traditional A-frame bench tables and also consider the needs of wheelchair users and those with push chairs.

If food is a main business driver, then he recommends buying tables and chairs, as they provide more suitable and comfortable seating for diners.

Shelters

The smoking ban has focused people's minds on the outdoors. Many licensees now realise that providing shelter, not just for smokers but also for people wining and dining, is the way forward.

Breeze House, which manufacturers and installs a range of stylish timber-framed buildings, has noticed an upsurge in interest in outside dining.

Group marketing manager Paula Pointon explains: "Our sales have increased and there is more of a call for dining areas than for smoking shelters."

Breeze House's two best sellers are its Savannah and Empire models, which measure 2.5m and 4.7m across and are capable of seating up to eight and 20 people respectively. The Savannah is primarily intended for smokers, while the larger size Empire is more suitable for dining. Both models can be specified with a thatched roof or one comprising cedar shingles.

Pointon comments: "People tend to like the thatched roof because it makes them feel as if they are on holiday." She says the feedback from licensees who have installed Empire shelters is positive: "Customers want to book tables in that area because it is different from what the pub up the road has to offer. It is a great way of attracting customers."

The timber used by Breeze House is from a sustainable source and is guaranteed against rot and decay for 10 years and all of the thatch is treated with a fire retardant. The price for an Empire before any discount and excluding VAT is £14,369, but includes installation on a base prepared by the licensee. The Savannah costs under £4,000. The normal time scale for delivery is between four and six weeks.

Obtaining the necessary planning approval is down to the licensee, but Pointon says few pubs have reported problems, just the odd delay or two in receiving consent.

Although the Empire is proving the most popular, she says demand is steady for the Savannah too. "I think that a lot of people who put up smoking shelters now wish they had gone for something more robust - a structure that will last for a number of years."