No butts about it

Outdoor TV screens and providing

suitable ashtrays could go hand in

hand with shelters as pubs seek to keep smokers happy, says Graham Ridout

Come 1 July English licensees who provide smokers with something different can lessen the effects of the ban. The hard lesson from Ireland and Scotland is that smokers don't stay as long as they did. Nor do they drink as much. So every inducement must be made to keep them as long as possible.

The three partners at the Admiral on Waterloo Street in Glasgow have come up with a novel way of stopping smokers wandering off while on a fag break. The pub is landlocked and the only place for smoking is the pavement. A modicum of shelter is provided by an awning, but the partners have fitted a plasma screen inside a window that faces the street so customers don't miss any of the action.

Mark Ferrier, one of the partners, says: "We are off the beaten track, away from the city circuit, so we have to generate business. With the smoking ban everyone is in the same boat, so it is all about offering better quality and service than your competitors."

All-weather TV screens

Waterproof television screens can keep football fans who are smokers happy.

Jacqui Hobson, marketing manager of USL Audio Visual, comments: "Drinking, smoking and watching football are inextricably linked. It's the pub experience of watching football that people like and licensees don't want to lose that business."

USL, part of Owl Visual Systems, offers

Sanyo LCD screens that can go outdoors in a beer garden or patio area that can cope with the British climate. The screens have IP56

certification - that ensures equipment is dustproof and can withstand high-pressure water jetting.

The company can supply screens in two sizes - 32in and 42in - and a 50in is due before the end of the year. The screens are anti-reflective so that picture quality isn't unduly affected by sunshine.

Hobson says: "We have seen an increase in interest, but sales are a little slow because pubs tend to leave everything to the last minute - as they did before the World Cup

last year."

Prices start at around £1,950 for the 32in model and £3,500 for the 42in screen, with

installation from £245. Installation can include anti-theft brackets. USL can supply a lockable trolley stand for £285, so that the television can be wheeled around the patio

or garden.

The Uckfield, East Sussex, company also offers leasing terms, which include installation, of £20 per week for a 32in and £34 per week for the larger one. Although the sets will really come into their own during the winter, Hobson advises: "Get one now and enjoy the summer and you will reap the benefits."

Slow to prepare for the ban

Canopy supplier Zenith agrees that licensees are slow to prepare for the ban. Managing director Ian Manners explains: "Things are a bit slow, but we are selling to the more discerning people who are thinking beyond just a smoking shelter. They are repackaging their pubs and looking to benefit from increasing food sales and gaining extra business in summer.

"There is reluctance among some to put up a cheap smoking shelter as that looks as if they don't care about their customers."

He has also noticed that some turn pale when they are quoted £5,000 to have a canopy fitted and don't consider the long-term benefits. "A 36sq m canopy can seat up to 36 people. The average spend per head for drinkers is £5 to £10. If they are having food the spend is between £10 and £20."

Manners says spreading the investment over four years is equivalent to only 15p to 20p per head per visit. "You will get a return very quickly, especially if everyone is spending £10 or £20 a time."

Zenith's canopies are a PVC that blocks ultra-violet, which means people, especially those with children, can shelter from its harmful effects. "Most people don't want to sit, eat and drink in the raging sun," notes Manners.

Manners reports no problems obtaining planning approval and advises licensees to employ planning consultants to liaise with local authorities. Zenith can supply the steel frame and roofing in colours to suit local

authority requirements on visual intrusion.

Stubbing out outdoors

Colour also plays a role in the cigarette bins offered by the DAD Group - which recently set up a subsidiary company - ashtraysonline.co.uk. DAD's managing director Emmanuel Charbonnel explains: "Most ashtrays coming into the country are from the Far East and only available in stainless steel or black. We offer a choice of colours to match the pub. We even supplied a pub with pink ashtrays to match its pink flower pots."

Charbonnel says coloured ashtrays are particularly popular with historic or listed pubs that want the receptacles to blend with the building. Ashtrays can be supplied in most colours, within five working days.

DAD's MD says care should be taken when deciding not only the number of ashtrays, but also where they are sited. "They should be close to the entrances to the pub, but not too close because smokers standing around the ashtrays can put off potential customers."

That's entertainment

The ban is seen as an opportunity by one entertainment equipment provider for licensees to rethink their business model.

Liz Griffin, Mediatheme's marketing manager, says: "Entertainment is the key. Licensees have to come up with other ways to get people in. They need to look at everything they do and maximise revenue."

The Stamford, Lincolnshire, company's flagship product for pubs is Entertainer Pro, a system with music, games and quizzes.

The package has a karaoke and video jukebox with more than 30 music genres. There is also an option for using a DJ. Tracks and chart singles are updated monthly.

The games include roulette, horse and greyhound racing, bingo, raffles and TV show variations such as Take your Pick, Open the Box, and Play your Cards Right.

Griffin says: "Licensees might hold karaoke or quizzes ad hoc, but could have entertainment throughout the week. They can choose a function from the system and try holding a roulette or a racing night."

Mediatheme will advise on what entertainment would suit a particular venue.

The company sends a monthly newsletter with tips and events for the coming month, such as Mothers' Day and sporting events. Every quarter, a newsletter contains advice on how to make the most of a particular Mediatheme programme.