Gavin Webb, senior negotiator, Davey & Co
Over the past few months the licensed trade has been beset with challenge after challenge. A number of factors — the big three being the smoking ban, the credit crunch and a squeeze on consumer spending — have resulted in many licensees battling against a marked downturn in trade.
But a reprieve may be much closer to hand than you may imagine. The summer is upon us — and now is the time to fully utilise that frequently neglected and overlooked facility, the beer garden.
Almost a year in, the smoking ban has impacted to varying degrees across the trade, with town and community pubs being hardest hit, because they usually derive turnover solely from wet sales.
Some have adapted by introducing food or building on the existing food offering. However,
if no catering facility is available, the obvious solution is to create and maximise the potential return of an outlet's external trading area.
Enhancing the offer with barbecues and hog roasts, creating a community or family-centric event programme, outside team games facilities such as pétanque, outdoor skittles and so forth, and providing attractive seating areas can all add hugely to turnover and profit.
With or without a catering facility, a well-presented outdoor area provides an extension to the internal trading areas — and for those with an internal dining facility,
an outside space utilised correctly, can add significantly more covers, effectively for little or no cost, during the summer months.
If a smartly constructed smoking solution is added in case of inclement weather, an outdoor area could — and in many cases should — become the focus of a business through the summer months.
As agents, we are finding that more and more buyers list a beer garden or at least some form of outdoor trading area as a principal requirement.
With the weather tentatively predicted to be better than last year's appalling deluge, making the most of your outdoor area could be the key to enjoying a highly successful few months.
A busy beer garden serves as an excellent selling point and produces a positive impression and feel-good factor for anyone coming to see a business with a view to purchasing it.
Whether you are selling your outlet or not, now is the time to make sure you are fully prepared to capitalise on the summer trade and to ensure that you are in the best possible position to maximise the turnover of your business.
