Open approach

Making optimum use of outdoor space has never been more essential. Being prepared for the ban saves money, time and energy - and retains custom

With the smoking ban rapidly approaching, facilities licensees provide outside their premises are going to be as vital as those inside - perhaps even more so.

About one-third of UK adults are smokers. They visit pubs more frequently than non-smokers - so it is imperative that provisions are firmly in place to help retain this key element of trade.

The bans - just over one month away in Wales and four months away in England - create the opportunity for hosts to differentiate their pubs from the opposition. Evidence from the Scottish ban, which came into force 11 months ago, indicates that those who prepared in advance of the clampdown fared much better than those who waited. The Scottish experience also shows that licensees who fared best were those who provided higher standard facilities than a rudimentary shelter and cigarette bin.

Outdoor furniture supplier Tabula reports encouraging signs that many English licensees have heeded the lessons from Scotland.

Tabula managing director Nick Barnicoat says: "We are definitely seeing more en-

quiries, and business through the autumn was up by about 50% on the previous year. Normally, people leave it until the week before Easter to place an order, but we are busy now and I think June is going to be extremely busy as people prepare for the ban."

Growth in jumbrellas

Barnicoat adds that his firm has noticed a lot of pubs are starting to install giant canopies, known as "jumbrellas". He says: " We are putting a lot of furniture underneath them."

Tabula is quoting a current two-week delivery period, but Barnicoat warns this is likely to increase with the approach of stub-out start days of 2 April in Wales and 1 July in England.

Two of the firm's best-sellers are triangular Winer/Diner bench tables and the Academy - hardwood and galvanised steel-framed table and chair sets. Each costs about £300 and has a 10-year guarantee. The hardwood comes from a sustainable source, accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Barnicoat notes: "We are not the cheapest, but we like to think we offer very high quality products at reasonable prices."

And he has the following advice for licensees: "If you plan to invest with the smoking ban in mind, slightly increase your budget. Go for good-quality products rather than products that will only last for a year or so, and make sure you buy them from a company

offering good after-sales service."

Licensees in denial

Tabula manufactures its products at its base in Carnforth, Lancashire, and offers a full delivery and assembly service across the country, including fitting security devices to prevent theft. Barnicoat adds: "We have many very loyal customers who use us because we will sort out any issues immediately."

Another firm reporting a rising tide of enquiries is Leeds-based AD Direct, which supplies and installs stylish cedar wood shelters.

Director Angela McHale says: "Since the draft regulations on the smoking ban were published, we have attracted a lot more in-terest. However, I believe that many landlords are still in denial - they imagine that there will be some last-minute reprieve, such as being allowed a smoking room, but that just isn't

going to happen."

McHale reports a growing trend in the number of customers looking for "something a bit more appealing than a bus shelter". She says a lot of people are still opting for the "bus shelter" approach, but that can only put them at a disadvantage if the landlord of the pub down the road pulls out all the stops with an appealing, bespoke shelter.

AD Direct offers a full design and installation service, which starts with a surveyor visiting the pub and supplying drawings for submission to the local planning authority. McHale says that gaining planning approval has rarely been an issue so far, but warns: "Waiting for the go-ahead can take up to three months."

If local authorities are flooded with planning applications just before the smoking ban starts, that timescale could extend significantly. Some figures fear the same kind of pandemonium as occurred with the Licensing Act, when the authorities simply couldn't cope.

Act now to avoid disappointment

McHale advises people to act now, commenting: "If we get a sudden influx at the last minute, it won't be possible for people to have their shelters installed in the three-to-four weeks that we currently offer."

The company's shelters are available in a range of 14 sizes and configurations, either made entirely from cedar for a longer life or, in a cheaper version, constructed from treated softwood with a cedar shingle roof.

Prices for the all-cedar shelters range from £4,995 for a 3.5m x 3.5m model to £6,500 for the 6m x 6m model. Corresponding sizes in the cheaper range cost £3,123 and £5,995 respectively. Signage and cigarette bins are included in the price. In addition, AD Direct can install heaters and lighting.

A three-year lease option is available from the company. McHale suggests that cigarette machine suppliers may be "persuaded" to contribute to the cost if they were convinced that machine income wouldn't be too badly affected because of the presence of a suitable shelter.

out of Africa

"The spirit of Africa" is how Breeze House describes its novel shelters. They are modelled on gazebo-styled shelters featuring thatched roofs, which are commonly seen in South Africa.

Breeze House marketing manager Paula Pointon says: "They aren't ordinary shelters - they create a theme and atmosphere that people enjoy. The shelters are aesthetically pleasing and multi-functional."

All the timber is treated against rot and decay and carries a 10-year guarantee. Imported from South Africa, the fire-retardant reed is laid on a metal roof covering the shelter.

Of the five sizes available, Pointon says the most popular are the Savannah, measuring 2.5m across, seating between six and eight and costing £3,873, and the Empire, measuring 4.72m across with café-style seating for up to 20 and costing £14,369. Both can be supplied with drop-down canvas panels to offer added weather protection.

Also available are a selection of thatched umbrellas, which can be used with circular tables to provide shelter when the weather is not too bad.

An illuminating experience

The winter months pose the biggest challenge for licensees who want to retain smokers' custom. Apart from shelter, lighting and heating, what else can be done to create a more pleasant environment for people who want to nip out for a smoke-break?

One way is to use decorative lighting. A wintry night can be transformed by bathing trees, scrubs, walls and other features in coloured lights. A multitude of options is available, including rope lighting, solar-powered lanterns and small floodlights.

Another method is to use uplighters sunken into paving or decking. These can be particularly effective when fixed beneath canopies or jumbrellas. For example, Edinburgh's Minto Hotel uses uplighters to bathe the canvas of three large jumbrellas in a soft red light. The jumbrellas are installed in front of the hotel, located on a main road leading into the nearby city centre. General manager Scott Cockburn says the welcoming glow of the jumbrellas acts as "a giant advertising hoarding" for the hotel. He comments: "Before our jumbrellas were installed, we did between 20 and 30 meals a day - that has risen to between 80 and 100."

A novel solution that creates an

inviting outdoor experience comes

from Worcestershire-based company illuminatedpots.com, which produces plant pots with integral lighting. Company director Cindy Pettit says: "They are fantastic at creating an ambient atmosphere at a pub and draw people outside. They communicate a signal of quality t