Heal, who is non-executive director of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) among a multitude of roles, told The Morning Advertiser she sees profits and loss records for all types of hospitality sites and said the situation for them is “incredibly tough”.
Heal said: “The biggest challenge is the industry is overtaxed so businesses have to manage the impact of increasing costs they face.
“My role on the Hospitality Sector Council (HSE) is to chair the 20-strong SME advisory group and I bring their views to the HSE four times a year to Westminster.
“I hear first-hand from every type of hospitality business there is in the UK and I see all their P&Ls and that data is anonymised when it’s taken to the minister. [Business is] incredibly tough.”
Heal revealed her delight about Rachel Reeves stating she is going to look at business rates because the Government didn’t have the right data. “It’s obviously the hot topic and we welcome the Government looking at this,” Heal said. “Everyone is excited and we want to see a 20p tax discount on the business rates multiplier for pubs.”
Huge power
The Lucky Saint MD who is also a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group (APPBG) and chair of the FBI (Family Business and Independents) advisory board said she is a proud member of the BBPA board alongside CEO Emma McClarkin and heavyweight hospitality hitters Nick Mackenzie, Paul Davies, Chris Jowsey, Lawson Mountstevens and Tom McMullen, and explained: “Pub and beer leaders have come out swinging, standing shoulder to shoulder. There is huge power in that. Obviously, we’re encouraging the Government to have a rethink and make changes to business rates.
“I know Emma [McClarkin] and her team at the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) are working 24 hours a day.”
She added pubs are at the heart of the community in the UK and wants to see them afforded conditions to thrive but admitted we will have to wait to see what those changes are going to be.
“Although it’s all about business rates at the moment, VAT is out of whack with Europe. We have one of the highest rates in Europe at 20%, Heal said. “I know everyone would love the Government to address that but, right now, it’s the 20p tax discount on the business rates multiplier that we need.”
Heal added she is heartened to see the reaction the public have had in support for UK hospitality but is determined in her wish for the Government to help make the conditions for all businesses to thrive.
Meanwhile, Lucky Saint is enjoying an incredible period currently as the low & no sector goes from strength to strength.
Heal said it is important to note the alcohol-free beer category is in “rude health”, with sales up 20% year on year, which she said is really important given mass beer sales remain flat.
Everyone wins
Lucky Saint is in The Morning Advertiser’s Drinks List at number 4 and is the only dedicated independent brand in the top 20, Heal added.
“In the UK on-trade, we’re in 10,000 hospitality sites, 1,200 are pouring on draught and we’re in 80 Michelin-starred restaurants. Three out of four UK adults are actively moderating and one in three pub visits now are alcohol – so it’s coming… it’s happening.”
She added the brand is running a campaign called Thou Shalt Go To The Pub until the middle of February in which it is working with 30 operators and 1,000 venues across the UK, giving away 100,000 free pints of Lucky Saint.
“What I love about this campaign is everyone wins,” she said. “Last year, we know that for every person who came into a pub and redeemed a free pint, they actually stayed and spent, on average, £16.
“So, the licensee wins because we’re driving footfall into the pubs in a traditionally quiet month but the consumer wins because we’re giving them a great excuse to get out of their house and get into the pub in January – that’s really exciting.”
Lucky Saint has also released three new beers for the new year that have all sold out in its packaged format.
“This year I’m really excited about our portfolio. We now have four beers, we’ve had a lager for many years, but now we’ve got three new beers.
“All three [new beers] bring in very different consumers so they can drive incremental spend. Our Hazy IPA attracts a craft consumer. Our Lemon Lager has the highest percentage of under-45 shoppers in the alcohol-free beer category, which is phenomenal.
“This means we’re driving younger people into alcohol-free beer. And our Weissbier is absolutely delicious and brings in a more traditional beer drinker. It has just launched and the feedback has been incredible.”
