Punch appoints new retail director for managed pubs
A senior manager with 20 years' experience in retailing has returned to his first love, the hospitality sector, and joined leading pub company the Spirit Group.
Richard Carter is the new retail director for the managed house division of Punch Taverns, the UK's largest pub operator. It is something of a homecoming for this graduate in hotel and institutional management who trained as a classical chef and spent two years running a pub. In his new role Richard will oversee the four operations directors responsible for Spirit's key divisions - Value Food, Quality Food, City and Local pubs - and bring all the group's training under his wing. He will report to managing director Andrew Knight. Richard will divide his time between Spirit's Burton-on-Trent headquarters and travelling around the country to its 800 core pubs.
Richard said: "After 20 years in retailing, the last five at director level, in both entrepreneurial and FTSE 100 companies, I have come back to something I love, which is food and drink. I'm excited about the challenge and looking forward to maintaining and building on Spirit's high standards. "There are similarities between retailing and the pub sector where good service, managing people and having the right processes in place are all crucial to success. The nature of pubs means that serving the customer well has an even greater priority. "We already have an exceptional pub estate and fantastic people. A key focus is to ensure we have consistently high levels of customer service in efficient, well-run and thriving pubs." Andrew Knight, managing director of Spirit Group, said: "Richard brings wide experience, skills and passion to the post. We are confident he will be a highly effective retail director and an asset to our business." Richard's retail career started with ASDA and further progressed at Office World and then Dixons where, as stores director, he was responsible for a 384-stores, 8,000-employee operation. Before joining Spirit he was operations and distribution director for Virgin, looking after its music, DVD and games stores. Aged 40, he is married with a 13-year-old son and lives in Cawston near Rugby, Warwickshire. Richard is also a qualified referee and helps to run his son's football team. He enjoys keeping fit and completed the Three Peaks Challenge for charity, climbing the three highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales in under 24 hours. Spirit Group is the managed house division of Punch Taverns, which has more than 8,400 leased, tenanted and managed pubs. Its market leading concepts include Chef & Brewer, Two For One and Wacky Warehouse.
