At a time when so many pubs are closing, it is fascinating to see how the successful NW-based pub group, Amber Taverns, has grown and flourished. Seven years ago, Amber comprised just 10 pubs in the North West of England; now there are 117 outlets across the country. They have opened approximately one new pub per month – and the expansion continues with at least five planned over the coming weeks and months.
Gary Roberts, Operations Director, founder and a shareholder in the business, puts success down to picking great people and serving great drinks – like Brockmans Gin, of which he, and his customers are huge fans.
“We have a unique operator agreement and give the people who run our pubs a percentage of turnover and a large amount autonomy on how they operate”. The ‘semi-unbranded’ outlets enable managers to take ownership. They pick their people carefully. “Some are former tenants of other pubs but our recruitment policy means that we also often partner with people who have never worked in the industry. They bring different skill sets but, most importantly, we recruit people who have a great personality. No one wants to drink in a pub where the landlord has had a worse day than you – and shows it. You come to our pubs for a great time: and our team are intent on great drinks, served happily”.
Amber Taverns’ management team spends an enormous amount on its buildings. When they buy an outlet, they refurbish to high standards. Importantly, for Gary Roberts, it’s not just the customer space that is important. “We refurbish everything – including giving the landlords high quality accommodation. If they are happy upstairs in their flat above the pub, they’ll be happy downstairs serving customers too,” he says.
Training and support is also important. Whilst there is autonomy, enabling the managers to take ownership, they always have input and a safety net of the regional managers and head office. It’s a formula that is clearly working.
It is obvious, however, from speaking with Gary that success has also come from the business acumen and attention to detail of the management team. When they bought a Varsity pub in Bolton– “very industrial, all concrete and girders” – Gary Roberts said they asked themselves if they could do something different with it.
Here’s where the attention to detail kicks in. He spotted a female customer ordering a gin and tonic but, when it was served in a straight glass rather than the bowl she’d enjoyed before, she switched to half a pint of lager instead. “Because we didn’t have the right glass, we made an 85 pence sale instead of a sale worth over £5 and we failed to serve the customer the drink that she really wanted. That rang bells with me,” says Gary. After this observation, reviewing the enormous space in Bolton, the idea of Hogarth’s Gin Palaces was born. There are now seven and not one is in the obvious metropolitan club and bar centres like Manchester, Leeds or London.
In addition to the original Gin Palace in Bolton, these Victoriana offerings have been opened in Preston, Ilkeston, Wakefield, South Shields, Swansea and, most recently, Leicester.
The décor is rich woodwork, stained glass and the cosiness combined with grandeur that you would association with a Victorian Gin Palace. Each operates slightly differently. In Bolton for example, there is a mezzanine and a stage where live music is a popular feature. There is sport but also a snug area for those who want to talk not view entertainment.
Despite the name, these seven establishments are 75% traditional pub, with gin and other premium spirits accounting for the remaining 25% of sales. They stock 158 gins across the estate with most Gin Palaces listing around 130. “Brockmans Gin is one of the top three everywhere,” says Gary Roberts. “It’s our entry to the category. When people say they dislike gin, the Hogarth’s Gin Palace bartenders are likely to tell them ‘You do – you just haven’t found the gin you like. Yet!’ We serve them a Brockmans and Ginger Ale with blueberries and blackberries and suddenly they love gin. At least, they love Brockmans Gin”.
Until recently, Brockmans has only been available in Hogarth’s but in recent weeks the entire estate stocks it. The management team sees the potential. They have invited Brockmans’ Brand Ambassador for the UK, Mike Whatmough, to run a series of masterclasses for the staff and to launch an internal cocktail development completion. “Brockmans is spearheading our new cocktails,” says Gary Roberts. Brockmans, often dubbed a ‘gin like no other’ is proving its worth in this exceptional group of pubs.
