Having been promoted from his role as managing director – which he took on in February this year – Slade has been working to develop “the DNA” of the business through a period of strategic review, in order to create a strong platform for growth.
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“I walked into a great business. This has been about what we can do to make it even better,” he tells MCA. “We’ve been looking at what we want to become as a business, the good things that are already in place and what we want to put in place for the future.
“We’ve identified and changed quite a lot, quite quickly, and as a consequence of that have got ourselves into a position where we have got an appetite to try and grow again.”
While a key part of his role will be navigating current sector-wide cost challenges, Slade explains that the independent London pub group is looking to increase investment in its sites.
The business has previously been focused more on maintenance capex, but it is now looking to initiate some transformational capex projects across its 14-strong pub estate to try and boost sales, he adds. Plans are currently ongoing, “but there should be some exciting stuff coming in the new year”.
Ensuring a high-quality proposition is of key importance to the business, with its food menus a particular focus for development. Market Taverns’ owner Rolf Munding is a former director and co-owner of Smiths of Smithfield and brings with him the experience of executive chef Tony Moyse.
While pub food has evolved hugely over the past 10 years, Slade says the business is looking to innovate and elevate to the next level, so that if a customer comes in and orders fish and chips – it’s the highest quality and brings them back.
Commenting on the skills of Moyse he adds: “In terms of experience and quality, we’ve got an exceptional person, who has previously been used in the right way, but underutilized for the skill set and the talent that he has. I’m very much focused on trying to help him to develop our food off to another level.”
Alongside the development of the existing business, Slade says Market Taverns is open to acquisition opportunities, but that it will remain “very picky over what we want” and would only pick up individual sites that it feels would be very good for the business “and that we can do something with”.
- You can read the rest of the article on the Morning Advertiser’s sister site, MCA, here.
