MA300: Glendola boss says venues that tell a story will thrive
Speaking at yesterday’s MA300 at Brighton’s Grand Hotel, Salussolia said the projects that were thriving were those convincing customers that the operators were experts at what they were offering. He said to focus principally on price was a flawed strategy.
He said: “It’s no surprise that the pub and bar sector continues to discount through vouchers, happy hours and all manner of promotions. I would argue that is often to the detriment of quality and to our social responsibility.”
As a counterpoint he highlighted two of Glendola’s sites which he believes have successfully captured a corner of the market.
The first was the split-level Alston Bar & Beef and Gordon St Coffee in Glasgow. He said the company had targeted the Buchanen Street area of Glasgow, which has the second highest high street retail take per square foot in the country after Oxford Street, and set out to find the gap in the market. Having chosen a site next to the railway station the company set about establishing two business with different price points to maximise the opportunity.
Mind the gap
He said: “The first gap was top quality meat. No-one was really owning the market place for steak in the city centre yet we were surrounded by some of the best livestock in the world. Next we identified that Glasgow had no gin specialists. So, we decided to open Alston Bar & Beef, specialising in steak and gin. We also wanted a slice of the opportunity provided by our railway location. A coffee shop seemed the obvious choice. To differentiate our offer from the Costa Coffees and Starbucks, we became an expert in small batch coffee.”
The company went on to focus on the story of Glasgow Roast – celebrating the historic trading links between Glasgow and India and Africa. Roasting masterclasses were offered to underline the expertise at work.
Salussolia also highlighted the Silk & Grain in Cornhill, London, which centres its offer around its barrel-aged cocktail list.
Stories
He stressed that consumers would see through a story that was obviously foisted upon the venue and that there was no such thing as a concept that was too simple as long as it had not already been exploited.
He said: “Steak and gin was not a revelation but no one else was owning that space.”
Salussolia stressed the need for a thorough gap analysis before settling on a concept and to apply the principle of “the difference that counts”.
He said: “The ultimate acid test is to ask of yourself – ‘would I be missed’. If my venue closed tomorrow would my customers be able to find a replicated offer elsewhere. That is a huge challenge for an industry built around alcohol and food. But it is a challenge that must be met.”
