Tenant research: Building relationships is key to success

As the Government finalises the much debated statutory code of practice, the 2016 survey results demonstrate the strong and consistent progress in pubco-tenant relations, testament to the sector’s commitment and investment in the operational and relationship aspects of the tied pub model. 

Drilling down into the detail, the value licensees place on their Business Development Managers (BDMs) as a component of their overall relationship with their pub company is striking.

BDM 

In the majority of cases, the rating of the BDM outshines that of their respective pubco with the latest survey showing that the average rating given by tenants for the quality of their BDM was 7.53, with the average pubco rating being 7 out of 10. I was delighted by the performance of Admiral BDMs, achieving the highest rating and the company outperforming the sector and continuing to improve on the previous year.

This trend comes as no surprise. We are, after all, a people business with the BDM being the face of the pubco that most licensees see. The best BDMs have a deep-seated understanding of the pressures the trade face and develop close working relationships with their licensees.

Our tenants are rightly highly passionate and proud about the independent businesses they run and the very personal relationships, built on mutual respect, they have with their BDMs.

HQ

Yet while the role of the BDM is critical and the relationship they hold with the licensee paramount, it does not end there. While any licensee should be in regular contact with their BDM, they will also be speaking on a more regular basis to the head office team. In the same way as their colleagues out in the field do, pubco head office teams must have the same grasp of the day-to-day issues their publicans face.

At Admiral our ability to build strong and lasting relationships with licensees across our business is fundamental to our approach. All our support staff spend regular time out in trade, meeting tenants face to face. In doing so they are not only building their own relationships but developing their ability to provide better support.

To achieve the highest ranking of the national pub operators in the overall ratings, validates the progress we are making. I firmly believe we must continue to champion this approach as an industry as we look to build on these strong results for 2017.