S&N Retail signs up John Barras regulars as staff

Regulars at John Barras pubs are being persuaded to swap sides of the bar through an innovative recruitment drive by Scottish & Newcastle Retail (S&N).

More than 270 customers have already applied to join the S&N community brand through its "Have a word with John" campaign, which has been marketed by posters in the pubs.

Some customers have been recruited straight into management posts, with others starting on the Barras trainee management programme.

Many of the successful recruits applied after hearing about the campaign in their own local. These include David Main, now a trainee manager at the Lupsett Hotel in Wakefield, who found out about the scheme from the licensee at his local John Barras pub in Ellesmere Port.

Mr Main said: "I had always wanted to work in a pub management position, but felt that I would never have the chance.

"This scheme has been brilliant in allowing me to live a dream and work in an environment where my management skills can grow."

Dorothy Stubbs, Barras HR manager, said: "We looked at the key qualities of our current managers, and what it was about them that made them so successful. The main quality that was revealed was that they all had a very real understanding of community and a passion for the people around them.

"A review of our customer base revealed that their local Barras pub was also a huge part of their everyday life. This led to the simple conclusion, why can't our customers be our managers?"