We're the best people to save ourselves

The saying "things are never so bad that they can't get worse" has always been one of my favourite Czech aphorisms, but the on-going economic mess has brought home to me just how true this bit of folk wisdom is.

Actually, there is more to it than just being another example of the gallows humour so beloved of Czechs and Brits alike.

Legend has it that when the Czech homeland is in danger, St Wenceslaus and his knights will awake from sleep deep inside Branik mountain and ride to the rescue.

Unfortunately, Czech history has been littered with opportunities for the national saint and his team to show — but they haven't. This proves the point of the saying: things never bottom out sufficiently to merit saintly intervention. The only thing that is going to save us is ourselves.

Given the predicament in our industry at present, it seems to me that the sooner we accept there are no white knights or silver bullets out there — whether in the form of governments, bankers or trade associations — the better. Hard though it may be to swallow, no one is poised to rescue us.

We must acknowledge that, in the months ahead, whether we are suppliers or retailers, we have to look to ourselves if we are to get through one of the stormiest periods our industry has had to face, possibly ever.

Key to survival will be an ability to spot changing customer needs and meet them in full. For example, as drinking at home increases, it is inevitable that a visit to a pub is going to be a rarer event, while at the same time becoming more of a special occasion.

The retailer who has top beers on the bar and in the fridge is, therefore, going to be the one who attracts this audience seeking quality.

Proof of this fact is the growing number of retailers reporting record sales of Budvar from their outlets in the past few months. The secret of weathering the storm, then, is to study your customers' form and deliver accordingly.

As a reminder to all of us that we have to stick close to customer needs in the face of the gathering economic and legislative tsunami, I am considering having my favourite Czech aphorism produced as PoS material!

Tony Jennings, CEO, Budweiser Budvar UK​