First impressions designed to last

Money might be tight but your pub doesn't have to show it — it's worth investing in products that will improve the image of your business

Pubs have got to sell themselves to stand out from the competition. With consumer spending on the slide, scruffy or poorly-maintained pubs are likely

to feel the squeeze more than most.

Tired interior and exterior décor together with old-fashioned, tatty or wobbly tables and chairs are the first signs that a pub is on its uppers.

From the outside, it is often the state of the garden furniture that is the first tell-tale sign. Although traditional A-frame bench tables remain the favourites, they are being challenged by the round or hexagonal/octagonal six or eight seater tables. These not only look good, but are also far easier for people to sit down at or leave.

The same applies to the interior design. However, the tightening economic climate and the introduction of the smoking ban have meant many pubs have had to abandon refurbishing or replacing their interior furniture and fittings.

Barry Revell of Breachview Interiors remarks: "Many licensees have spent all their money on the outside, putting up lean-tos and smoking shelters, and have neglected the inside."

Even before last year's ban, Revell had noticed "a switch from traditional tables and chairs to modern, sophisticated furniture".

Over the past five years, the swing to offering food has meant many pubs have bought more expensive furniture. Another item that has made something of a comeback is bench seating as licensees position the seating against the wall to free up space for food. The bench seating in vogue is not church-style wooden pews, but the comfortable, padded style covered in fabric, leather, or faux leather.

Revell comments: "In the middle price range, people are going for faux leather. Modern faux leather is very good and any drink or food spillages can be simply wiped away without staining the surface."

He says faux leather is also proving a popular covering for the sofas that are springing up in pubs as a means of providing more relaxed areas for customers to lounge around.

Breachview, which is based in Erith, Kent, makes all its bench seating and tables. All its chairs are imported from Poland or Romania, and Revell reports they are made

to contract furniture standards.

Revell acknowledges "the pub trade is going through a terrible time", but advises licensees to "buy the best furniture you can afford".

The choice is yours

If it's choice you want, then Vintage Contracts can supply a wide range of styles of furniture to suit almost every taste. For lounge areas, the company based in Kirby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, has more than 30 different styles of sofas, armchairs and cubes to choose from, including wickerwork loungers. Purchasers also get a wide choice of coverings such as leather and faux leather, as well as some vibrant coloured fabrics. Vintage will also upholster the furniture with the customer's own material.

The firm's range of wood and metal chairs is equally impressive, with nearly 30 styles available for those that want wood and 13 for people preferring metal. Within many of the different styles, there are both high and low chair variants.

On the outside furniture front, Vintage can supply wood or metal tables and chairs in a variety of café pavement-style designs.

Benefits of good furniture

Not many joinery firms can claim a lineage as long as Woodberry, which has been trading as a family-run business for over 130 years in Leamington Spa.

The company says: "As joiners, we know where the strength needs to be and we design our furniture from this standpoint. We do not fall into the trap of building tables down to a price; rather than up to our own high specifications. Having said this, we are regularly told that our products represent good value for money."

Woodberry points to the old saying: "What's good isn't cheap and what's cheap isn't good", but remarks: "Good furniture has numerous benefits. First, it upgrades your environment; secondly it gives your customers the impression that they are cared for; and thirdly, it takes a weight off your mind that your furniture is not likely to collapse or need replacing for many years to come.

"These days, it is evident that there is increasing awareness and desire to enjoy the healthy benefits of the outdoor world. How can you do this

better than having attractive, quality furniture and accessories?"