Pubs offering more diverse facilties than ever

Pubs have been branching out into more service areas than ever before over the past 12 months to attract new customers, according to a new report released today.

Camping facilities, wetsuit and surfboard drying areas and foreign exchange facilities are some of the more unusual services being offered by pubs.

The 'Licensed Hospitality 2009 - A Labour Market Review of the Pubs, Bars and Nightclubs Industry' report was carried out jointly by the BII and skills council People 1st.

According to the report, 94 per cent of the pubs taking part in the survey had tried out new ideas over the past 12 months. A further six per cent had plans in the pipeline.

Some 84 per cent had invested up to £5,000 introducing new ideas and 52 per cent expected a return on their investment within six months, while a third expected a return within a year.

People 1st chief executive, Brian Wisdom, said: "Whilst this has been a challenging year for the licensed hospitality industry, along with other industries, the report clearly highlights that those who innovate, diversify and match their offer to customer demand can do well."

The report found that one in five pubs are struggling to recruit chefs with the right experience and skills.

Pubs, bars and nightclubs were now employing 6,200 more chefs in 2007/2008 compared to 2004/5 - a jump of 33 per cent.

A run of sporting events was flagged up and dubbed the 'golden decade of sporting events' which would direct the type of labour and skills that would be needed by pubs.

These events included the Olympics, The Ryder Cup, Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup.

Core skills lacking throughout the industry were: customer handling; technical, job specific; team working and problem-solving skills.

The lack of people in people management and finance skills was said to be "hampering" the industry. A third of those surveyed said they had difficulty recruiting bar managers with the right skills and experience.