PMA multiple operators' club goes from strength to strength
This week we are pleased to unveil the new-look MA300, the Publican’s Morning Advertiser’s (PMA) multiple operators’ club. This MA300 business club has been a hugely successful initiative by any measures. It started as the MA100 with 100 members some five years ago.
Our sponsors back then — showing remarkable judgement and foresight — included many of those that remain involved today, including Vianet (then Brulines), Heineken, Punch Taverns and Zonal Data Systems. They have been joined along the way by other blue-chip sponsors — Britvic, Sky, BOC, CGA, CPL Training, Poppleston Allen, Venners and Molson Coors — who complement the high quality of our operator members and help us set the tone for the programme of events and networking opportunities.
Our sponsors’ support, coupled with the PMA’s belief and investment in this business club has been matched by straight-line growth in its operator membership. That journey has seen the evolution of the MA100 in year one, to the MA150 in year two, to the MA200 in year three, to the MA250 in year four. So guess what?
That’s right — we have identified a further 50+ licensed multiple operators over the course of the past year, and have recently been busy inviting them to join the new MA300.
Innovation
So who are these 300 multiple operators? Well, you will know many of them by name thanks to their retail exploits, as reported in the PMA. And many of them have presented their businesses to us at the 14 business club events we have enjoyed to date.
We have recently completed the most thorough research programme of our members up to now. The membership list is available via The Pub Market Report, which can be ordered from the online shop.
MA300 members operate around 5,500 pubs and bars, with sales of £3bn and with purchasing power of around £1.8bn. That includes more than £700m on beer, £550m on food, £275m on soft drinks, a similar amount on wines and spirits, and £90m on coffee.
To date, the club has met on 14 occasions at events across the country, in London, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Lincolnshire and Merseyside, with senior representatives from more than 200 multiple operators in that time. In addition, we have enjoyed presentations from a total of 74 different members.
We’ve innovated and developed the business club from having a pure 9-5 conference format to include more social activities — such as dragon-boat racing, go-karting, Segway tours and Go Ape treetop assault courses — and study tours of innovative retail sites.
For the next financial year 2013/14 we will, as usual, have our three set-piece events. The first is on 11 June in Wokefield Park, Reading, the second is on 26 September in Leeds, and the third, in late November, will be a business day in London.
So if you are a multiple operator running two or more pubs or bars, and you have not yet attended an MA300 event, please contact Rikki Mudie on 01293 610459 or evxxv.zhqvr@jeoz.pbz. Membership is free, as is attendance at all our MA300 events.
