Your guide to becoming an Admiral Taverns licensee
Welcome. You too can run it your way. If you fancy running an Admiral Taverns pub, this is a great place to start. Whether you are an experienced licensee or looking to lease a pub for the first time, we’re here to help and always on the lookout for ambitious tenants. Through our ambition we have established Admiral Taverns as the UK’s largest independent tenanted and leased pub company in the UK, with thousands of pubs around the country. In the process we have helped many people to realise their own ambition of running their own pub business. Work with us and you will discover the professionalism of a big company along with a can-do attitude that serves us both well. By tapping into our resources, experience and contacts you can make a success of your hard work and enjoy the benefits of being your own boss. If you are self motivated, committed, keen and good with people, we would like to hear from you. The best place to start is by visiting our website www.admiraltaverns.com, calling our team on 0845 0708950 or completing the application form at the back of this brochure. In return we can show you how to run it your way, which is something we encourage all our licensees to do.
Lynne D’Arcy Joint Managing Director
We keep investing in our pubs to keep your customers coming back. Let’s not pretend. Running a pub is hard work. Be under no illusions, there’s a real investment of time and money on your part combined with long hours and occasionally difficult staff and customers to manage. If you’re well prepared and work hard, before you know it, the satisfaction and rewards you’ll receive will make all your efforts worthwhile. That said; you’re not on your own and our experienced business development managers are there should you need them.
At Admiral Taverns, you’ll certainly find us well prepared to give you the best possible start. No more so than capital investment, as we support our licensees through a continuous refurbishment programme that keeps people coming back to our pubs. Importantly, we stay in the background and encourage our landlords to stamp their personality on our pubs and create the right setting for their customers. We give you the foundations needed for success, but ultimately, it’s up to you to make your mark, run it your way and reap the rewards.
We offer flexible leases, so you get the benefit. Why choose Admiral Taverns? Admiral Taverns gives you the choices to do things your way. As well as giving you the opportunity to run your own pub your own way, you’ll discover flexible agreements – from traditional tenancies to long-term leases – right across the country. What’s more, you can expect a diverse range of opportunities including community locals, rural retreats, town centre bars and gastro-pubs that focus on food. Importantly, if you’re the type of person that makes things happen, we can make it possible for you to run your own pub.
By choosing Admiral Taverns, you are making a conscious decision to do things your way, with our help when you need it. We’ll stay in the background, not under your feet, so you can run your Admiral Tavern your way and make your pub a place where people want to go and keep coming back. And, by offering assignable leases as well as traditional tenancies, we let you share in the success you create, as you can sell-on the lease should you decide to move on before the end of the term.
You and Admiral Taverns. Together we’re a winning combination. In running your own pub, you’ll face a number of challenges that will test you as well as reward you. But with our experience and your enthusiasm, the right ingredients are in place to make your decision to run an Admiral Tavern your way a successful one.
As well as being your own boss, you’ll need to be a good manager of staff, a friend to neighbours and suppliers, and an occasional diplomat with customers and local authorities.
One of the main pleasures of running things your way is that you enjoy the results of your own hard work. However, you don’t need to feel on your own, as we’ve years’ of experience for you to draw upon should you need to. Just speak to your business development manager if a new challenge presents itself, as there’s a strong likelihood we’ll have practical ideas and guidance to help.
We give you the support you need without unnecessary extras. At Admiral Taverns we believe in giving you the practical help you need, when you need it to get the most from your pub. We encourage all of our new licensees to attend the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) approved Introduction to Licensed Retail Operations (ILRO) course. The 3 day programme is designed to suit everyone, with or without experience of running their own pub business. It covers all the essentials and provides you with the skills to make your pub the success it deserves to be.
Our business development managers are on hand to point you in the right direction with everything from health and safety issues to the choice of drinks brands to sell. We also suggest ways to make your pub more profitable, with guidance on promotions, food offerings and the best prices to set to suit your local market. You’ll find we tend to know what works well and where it works well, so we’re a good sounding board. Our emphasis is on down-to-earth support, delivering practical help that can make a difference to your pub.
By concentrating on the help you really need, we keep costs low and won’t inundate you with unnecessary frills and extras. While we’re here when you need us, we know it’s you who makes it happen. It’s a true spirit of partnership, in which we place genuine value on the role you play.
We provide the premises. You make the pub. Running it your way means we provide the premises and you make the pub. You have the freedom to plan, operate and decorate your pub to suit your own tastes and apply your own vision for what works locally. You need to make your pub a place people want to go to. How you do that, is largely up to you.
We understand that in order to run your pub your way, it’s your decisions that will ultimately make the pub what it is. Whether it’s the kind of drinks your customers want, the type of food they may be looking for, or the sort of entertainment that will make for a fantastic night’s fun, we appreciate that it’s you who will be in the best place to decide exactly what your customers want.
Of course, as the UK's largest independent tenanted and leased pub company we know a thing or two about running a successful pub. So you can always draw on our experience and resources. We also offer innovative facilities such as www.mypubfood.com to help you with everything needed to make food part of your successful business.
We want to help you hit your targets. Darts players need to have a good aim to achieve their goals and running a pub is no different. You need to recognise what you want from your pub and how you are going to achieve this. But don’t worry if you’re not sure how, we’re here to help and offer as much advice as you feel you need.
Running a pub requires real business sense as well as common sense. Be realistic in your business planning, aim to gain a better understanding of your staff and customers, work hard, think of ways to constantly improve and you can reap the rewards.
As with much in life, by applying serious effort, you might just be surprised by the benefits that come your way. Run your pub well and the person who reaps the rewards will be you. Especially because Admiral Taverns believes you should receive a fair share of the profits from your pub. In our view, hard work, self motivation and determination are great assets that usually pay off for licensees.
That said, some rewards you discover may not be purely financial. As well as tremendous job satisfaction, running your own pub will teach you some valuable lessons and earn you friendships that will last a lifetime.
Handy hints. Here are a few valuable tips from those who have been there and done it… • Do get things started by applying for your Personal Licence, you must have one to run your own pub and they take 6-12 weeks to process. • Do some part-time work in a pub to make sure it’s right for you. • Don’t rush into the decision. You need to be the right type of person who can handle people effectively and remain cool under pressure when handling staff and difficult customers. • Do make sure you plan properly. Make sure that what you’re proposing has a realistic chance of being achieved. • Do consider the amount of funding you have available to invest in running your own business. • Do take some time out to do some training before you start your own pub. • Don't worry if you need help with business plans or choosing a pub – our business development managers can help. • Don't worry if you don't have food or drink experience – we can recommend training and provide support with facilities such as www.mypubfood.com • Do complete the enclosed application form as soon as possible, we’ll then know you are interested and can get the ball rolling.
Jargon buster. The pub industry is no different to many in that it has its fair share of strange abbreviations and acronymns. Here’s a brief Admiral Taverns guide to industry terminology to help you get by… AWP
Amusements with prizes, such as fruit machines.
BII
British Institute of Innkeeping.
BIIAB
British Institute of Innkeeping Awarding Body – The leading awarding body for the licenced retail sector dedicated to developing and awarding qualifications to support the industry at all levels.
Dry led
A pub that derives most of its sales from food (rather than drink).
F&F
Fixtures and fittings.
Gastropub
A pub that focuses on food.
Ingoings
The amount of money needed to run a particular pub.
Lease agreement
Typically the longer term form of rental agreement that can be assigned (sold on) to someone else.
NCPLH
National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders – Essential in applying for your personal licence to run a pub.
Personal Licence
Authorises you to supply alcohol, essential for running a pub. Full details are available from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on 0207 211 6200 or www.culture.gov.uk
SWP
Skills with prizes, including quiz machines and the like.
Tenancy agreement
Typically a short term agreement for a pub.
Wet led
A pub that derives most of its sales from drinks (rather than food).
Applying for an Admiral Taverns pub couldn’t be easier. After reading through this pack, simply complete and return the enclosed application form to the address below and we’ll be in touch to discuss the next steps. You can also enquire by phone or apply online at:
Tel: 0845 0708950 www.admiraltaverns.com Tenancy Recruitment Department Admiral Taverns Suite H3 Steam Mill Business Centre Steam Mill Street Chester CH3 5AN
Simple steps to running a pub your way. 1
Complete the enclosed application form and post it to our tenancy recruitment department at the address below.
2
If you don’t already have one, get yourself a personal license (visit www.culture.gov.uk or call 0207 211 6200).
3
Speak to our tenancy recruitment team on 0845 0708950.
4
Visit our website to view the pubs that are currently available, it’s updated on a daily basis.
5
If you have seen an Admiral Tavern that suits you, we can arrange a meeting with one of our experienced Business Development Managers (BDM) to talk to you in more detail about a specific pub. If you want to find out any more about any of our pubs, remember we’re here to help so please contact us:
Call: 0845 0708950 Visit: www.admiraltaverns.com
Tenancy Recruitment Department Admiral Taverns Suite H3 Steam Mill Business Centre Steam Mill Street Chester CH3 5AN