As the government prepares its White Paper on smoking, pubs still have everything to play for. Phil Mellows reports.
The threat of a public places smoke ban has hung over the trade for too long. While politicians manoeuvre and the government wobbles there is a danger that, in the air of confusion, the pub industry becomes paralysed, waiting for someone else to make the decision about its future.
The most recent whispers from government circles suggest that a more liberal approach may be taken, that there is no "political will" for a blanket ban. In any event, with a White Paper not now likely until at least December, any legislation will be put back until after the next election.
So there is everything to play for - and the trade's campaign for choice in the smoking issue has not let up.
The important thing is to take the issue seriously and do something. We have seen growing numbers of licensees introduce a smoking ban in their pub voluntarily. The figure showed up on the radar in The Publican's Market Report survey for the first time this summer, and the one per cent which have taken this course is equivalent to 600 outlets, an impressive advance considering you could count smoke-free pubs on the fingers on one hand a couple of years ago and still have enough fingers left to hold a fag.
Many more have set up no smoking areas and smaller pubs have banned smoking at the bar.
Steady progress
There has also been steady progress in clean air technology. Despite the worry that an imminent smoking ban might make new ventilation and air cleaning measures redundant manufacturers working with the Atmosphere Improves Results (AIR) campaign have found ever cheaper and more efficient ways of removing smoke and generally improving air quality.
All this is vital if the industry is to influence the government and reach a position where each individual pub can have a smoke policy which suits the business.
It is also important from the point of view of customer service. Public opinion in the last few years has turned sharply against the smoke-filled room. As your customers demand higher quality in terms of food and drink, comfort and service, so they are increasingly insisting on clean air.
Pubs have the policy flexibility and the technology to deliver those standards without damaging the business - all the evidence shows, in fact, that cleaning up the air will improve trade.
This is not a time to sit around and wait. Every pub can, and should, take action on air quality now.
AIR
AIR - the Atmosphere Improves Results campaign - offers licensees and pub groups free advice on clean air policies. Write to AIR, Freepost 39 LON20592, London W1E 8AT, telephone 020 7482 0620, email enquiries@airinitiative.com or visit www.airinitiative.com for more details.
If air quality is improved...
- 32% of customers would stay longer at the pub
- 20% would visit the pub more often
- 19% would be more likely to buy food.
(Survey by GfK Martin Hamblin)
That figures...
- 70% of customers want no smoking areas
- 41% of customers consider a no smoking area an important factor when deciding where to eat
- 60% of barstaff said the level of smoke influenced where they chose to work.