Managing director Simon Emeny tells Phil Mellows about the unique way Fuller's does business, its attention to detail and the individual nature of its pubs.
On election day, Simon Emeny was due to head down to the Red Lion on Parliament Street to watch the results come in. The pub, a favourite with MPs and their hangers-on, stayed open all night and the managing director of Fuller's Inns took a keen interest in the results.
It's rude, of course, to ask a person who they voted for. But some leave more clues than others.
Exhibit one: David Cameron began his campaign trail last month at Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick.
Exhibit two: Emeny liked what he heard from the Conservative leader. "I felt he understands the pub, how supermarket pricing hits business in the on-trade — and he realises the on-trade is well self-regulated."
Exhibit three: The incumbent Government is not in his good books. "The damage the Labour Party has done to the on-trade is enormous."
Curiously, though, the company he works for has done very nicely under Labour, and Emeny's own success story at Fuller's is almost exactly concurrent with its term in office.
The fact that we're sitting in the Red Lion on a sunny pre-election weekday morning watching it fill up satisfyingly tells something of that story.
"A few years ago I'd never have believed a company such as Fuller's could have a pub like this," says Emeny.
"We had the chance to buy it from Punch a year ago and we were brave to take it on, I think.
"People used to say we were too cautious, too conservative, not risking enough — not taking on enough debt! And perhaps we haven't been adventurous enough in the past. But we've been 165 years in this business and we don't take uncalculated risks.
"The past two years have been good for quality regional brewers. We've had the resurgence of cask ale, and quality pubs have performed well. There have been pubs to buy, too, and places like the Red Lion are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for the likes of Fuller's."
It's hard to think now of Emeny as being anything other than a Fuller's man. But it was Fuller's that came and poached him from a very different culture at Bass.
Coming from a big corporate organisation, wasn't he put off by the notorious quirkiness of a family brewer?
"Quirky is a word I like," Emeny smiles. "It's important, I think. I knew what I was joining and I felt at home very quickly.
"I was born near the brewery in Chiswick and I had admired Fuller's from a distance — it was its attention to detail. It's a company that does things properly, that doesn't take short cuts. That's what appeals to me. It's not about hitting short-term cash targets. You get the chance to develop the business and the people over time.
"I've been at Fuller's 13 years and as a 30-year-old you don't think you'll stay anywhere that long. But everything has been so challenging and enjoyable. It's infectious. Every day I wake up as excited about it as when I first joined."
What perhaps has marked the Fuller's pub business out over the past decade is its ability to combine that quirky individuality that attracts Emeny with consistent quality.
The company has, for instance, been helping tenants through the recession not with handouts, but by encouraging quality, such as offering discounts to those passing cellar management qualifications. Thirty tenancy refurbishments are lined up for this year, too.
"When the Fuller's sign is over the door the customer expects a certain standard," explains Emeny. "Is it a brand? If a brand means a consistent approach to quality then it's a brand that sets our pubs apart.
"But the brand is also our pubs' individuality. Our customers want great cask beer, good food, atmosphere, but they don't want all our pubs to look the same. They mustn't look the same. That's our quirkiness — and it comes from the licensee, too. We want our licensees to put their thumbprint on a business, not follow a manual.
"We need people who have an entrepreneurial spirit, whether they're managers or tenants, and we're finding that more people want to work for us. Our retention rates are one of the best in the industry, too, because people like the way they're treated. We're losing less than 5% a year among managers, slightly more among tenants."
But while "Fuller's will be fine" when it comes to surviving the next few challenging years, Emeny is seriously bothered about the wider industry.
"Duty has increased 26% over 25 months. That means we will continue to find trading very difficult.
I reckon high duty and excessive regulation means we'll lose 10,000 pubs over the next five years.
"Pubs are priced out for many customers. Younger people are drinking cheap alcohol at home, in an unregulated environment. I've got four children. Where do I want them drinking? In a pub. I feel very strongly about that.
"I'm hoping enough is enough now, and that a new Government, whoever they are, can start afresh."
For Emeny, the tie is not really the issue.
"If pubs are closing it's more likely to be the duty increases and the downturn in the market rather than the fault of the pubcos. The majority of failures in the past two years have been in the freetrade. In fact there's an added incentive for pub owners to keep tenancies afloat.
"With the benefit of hindsight, the failure to respond to the earlier Trade & Industry Select Committee recommendations has put the industry on the back foot. But the new British Beer & Pub Association code is very good. It's great that it's got buy-in from all the member companies — and I'm convinced it will be very professionally implemented."
He takes a harsh view of "aggressive groups like Fair Pint".
"They have attempted to destabilise the industry while it's under pressure," he thinks, and only add to the negative PR that's damaging pubs.
"You go out socially to the pub and people come up to you and say they hear it's been awful for you! Our image has been made worse and it's not fun being an easy target.
"The pub closures on their own have been negative PR. There's an assumption that all pubs are doing badly. But good quality pubs have performed well and we have to get that across to people."
If Emeny gets his way Fuller's will be playing its part in spreading the word — through expansion.
"There are a lot of opportunities at the moment. It's more important that we acquire quality pubs rather than a quantity of them, but we're not going to sit on our hands and we have some interesting plans. It's time to think about the next generation.
"This isn't just a job for me," he adds. "Not everything's about money. It's how you've treated people, how you've valued them.
"I want to feel proud of what we've achieved, to know that I've added something to the business, left a legacy."
My kind of pub
My kind of pub has charm, character, quirkiness and an eclectic feel. I don't like machines in pubs at all. I'm a grumpy old man in that respect.
I live in Kew, but my favourite pub is the Churchill Arms in High Street Kensington.
It's run by Gerry O'Brien, who's the epitome of a quirky licensee, and he never lets
you down. I love nothing more than a drink in the pub with my friends. It's hard to forget your day job — I'm always spotting things, but it's great when you can finally relax.
Key dates
• 1987 — After leaving Southampton University with a degree in economics and accountancy Emeny joins brewing giant Bass as a graduate trainee, going on to perform a variety of roles in sales
• 1996 — Headhunted by Fuller Smith & Turner, where he is appointed head of operations
• 1997 — Becomes retail director.
• 1998 — Joins the main board.
• 1999 — Completes first London Marathon.
• 2000 — Given additional responsibility for Fuller's tenanted estate.
• 2003 — Becomes a council member for the Association of Licensed Multiple. Retailers.
• 2006 — Appointed managing director of Fuller's Inns .
• 2007 — A