2. Biz Network May 2021 39-76.qxp_Chamberlink 30/04/2021 09:33 Page 52
FOCUS FEATURE
HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM
Hospitality and tourism bounce back While bars, restaurants and cafes are able to serve outdoors, 17 May is the big date for many as venues can finally welcome customers indoors. Dan Robinson finds out what the future holds for hospitality, travel and tourism – some of the industries hit hardest by the pandemic. ood takeaway services, village shops and car park markets are just some of the ways the 168 pubs in the Everards Brewery stable pivoted their offer during lockdown. There’s also been tales of pub owners delivering Christmas dinners to the elderly and making donations to the NHS. One of those was Sam Hagger, who runs three Leicestershire venues under the Beautiful Pubs Collective banner, which leases from Everards. “We’ve been the hardest-hit sector and yet we were the people who stepped up,” he says. “There will be a lot of pubs that have made new friends in their communities. A lot of what we’ve done during the pandemic has been about staying in people’s hearts and minds.” Sam, who has been in the pub trade for 22 years and set up his company in 2008, has often spoken about needing to prepare for the “Black Swan” surprise moments in business, but even he was taken aback at how quickly everything unravelled in March last year. His usual £4m turnover was cut to £1.6m, although he admits the Job Retention Scheme, which protected the majority of his 70 employees with an estimated furlough bill of about £780,000, has helped him survive. So has the decision to diversify his offer at The Forge Inn, Knight + Garter and The Rutland & Derby pubs, which between them have launched themed supper and brunch clubs, virtual cabaret nights and a delicatessen. They were business ideas he’d never have contemplated 14 months ago but now he thinks it will be a crucial part of the post-Covid pub. “A lot of pub operators, including ourselves, have realised we can do so much more with our properties,” says Sam, who admits there are still tough times ahead for hospitality. “People have created new habits – they’re going for morning walks and will grab a coffee – and we’ve realised there’s so much we hadn’t considered. Going back to what we previously did would feel boring.”
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“WHAT A YEAR it’s been,” says Emma Roderick, operations director for pubs at Everards. The family-run brewery’s two main income streams – rent and trade from its 168 pubs, which are run by “business owners” – was cut off overnight in March last year. Furlough has been a saving grace for its 70 head office staff, but with its commercial health intrinsically linked to its pubs, the company cancelled 73% of its rent roll. Yet no pubs were permanently shut, with only a small number sold, and about two-thirds were 52
business network May 2021
The Forge Inn (above) is run by Sam Hagger (inset)
Emma Roderick
