Packing A Punch
"The Punch Pub Pack contains everything a new licensee needs to know about running one of our pubs from scratch, from basic stuff through to developing the business and what we offer in terms of support.
"It's been 'live' for about nine weeks now, and came about as part of a growing recognition that we needed both to retain good licensees and help them succeed in the first 12 months of their time in one of our pubs.
"The first year is a crucial time for new entrants to the pub business. The trade has a failure rate for the first 12 months which is higher than other industries and all of us recognise it is absolutely crucial to retain talented people. That's not to say we haven't strived to do so previously, but we recognised there was more we could do, as regards the structure and vigour of support for a licensee's first few months.
Understanding the commitment
"We want newcomers to fully understand the commitment they are making when they take on one of our pubs. The financial and accounting side of things is crucial, which is why we insist on them using Milestone or an equivalent provider of accounting services, capable of producing monthly management accounts.
"New entrants invariably go with Milestone because they are just that, new. Experienced operators are likely to already have a relationship with a perfectly good practitioner and as long as they meet our minimum requirements we're happy.
"Again, regarding those receiving a pack, there is a structured approach to how it is handled. The BRM introduces sections as when required and how they are relevant.
"The packs took eight months or so to develop, with much help and feedback from licensees themselves, as well as operational experience. It's being actively being used by 120 new Punch licensees and will be part of the induction process for every new entrant into the business. But the reality is the document still contains things that are likely to be of use to existing operators.
"Using the pack is mandatory, but we don't plan to force-feed those areas where competencies already exist. We will certainly share this with our more experienced retailers and multiple operators, and these are welcome to tailor it to help with their own training and service needs. Feedback on the packs so far has been excellent, which suggests the BRMs are doing a good job.
Rolling support
"This is not an initiative; it's part of a growing commitment to help a licensee in their first year. Support rolls on after the first 12 months, but it is different in nature because of the experience the licensee has gained. We were doing this kind of thing before, but much of it was piecemeal and disparate. We've simply pulled all the elements together. The idea is to be supportive and transparent in our dealings with our licensees.
"The pack stems from the move to create 12 operations managers earlier this year. Whereas before the regional operations director would have been in charge of 12 BRMs, now newly-created operations managers oversee five BRMs. This creates and hones the business focus of the BRM and helps develop their capabilities.
"It is vital is that our BRMs are able to communicate the processes involved. They should have the right technical and commercial skills in order to be regarded by the licensee as credible. This is really important. And we want these guys to work out in the field, day-to-day, in pubs.
"They should also be good at the relationship side of the business. If they can't get on with the people they are dealing with then there's going to be a problem. They need to be able to engage with the licensee in order to help move the business forward and sustain it.
"We believe that we're leading the way with our BRM development, but we can't stand still."
Kevin Georgel was speaking to Hamish Champ
