Punch Taverns to recruit regional launch managers to help with major pub refurbishments

It is currently recruiting eight RLMs to oversee major refurbishments and ensure that licensees have as much help as they need when opening a new site.

Andy Slee, director at Punch, said this will allow new openings to go smoothly, with all staff knowing exactly what they are doing.

The new recruits will guide licensees through the opening, and help draw up a nine-month marketing plan to cover a period before and after the opening. The RLMs will manage 30 to 40 site investments per year.

Slee said: “When the pub opens, it will open perfectly. The staff will be well trained and the licensee will know exactly what they are doing. We hope that this will be live by Christmas.”

The move is part of a number of upcoming initiatives by the pub company over the next six months. Punch is also offering free Wi-Fi to 3,000 pubs, and is in the process of installing it for all of the 95% of lessees who opted for it.

Slee explained that this will help licensees increase footfall and encourage customers to stay in their pub longer. “We believe that we are the first leased and tenanted company to offer this,” he said. “We’ll also provide all the point-of-sale material as part of the deal.”

Punch will also be launching a mystery shopping programme to help its tenants and lessees improve service and set benchmarks. Every pub will receive two random visits a year and a follow-up with their area manager.

“This helps the pubs become better businesses,” said Slee. “This is something new to our sector; the retail sector does it a lot. It’s a way of saying to them [licensees], ‘if you think you’re good, this is what the best looks like’.”

• Eight hundred Punch pubs will be giving away 100,000 free pints during Cask Ale Week (28 September to 7 October)