WIXLIB

6Summer 2014Summer 2014NEW VOICE FOR FRANCHISEESFranchising has become a successful and rapidly expanding part ofthe Marston’s business and the company is proud of its transparentand ethical franchising culture that enables franchisees to flourish.Franchisees play a key rolein determining the company’sfuture growth and to ensuretheir continued success, clearand regular communicationbetween franchisees andMarston’s is vital. Basedon franchisee feedback,Marston’s has established aFranchise Advisory Council,with membership electedfrom and by all franchiseesacross the UK.Following elections heldin June, the newly formedcouncil meets quarterly toreview Marston’s plans andprovide input, particularlyaround issues which are ofconcern to the franchiseesand propose new ideas to driveimprovement and innovationwithin the network.Franchisedevelopmentmanager Celene Normoylehas driven the creation of theFranchise Advisory Council.She commented: “The Councilis not a replacement forindividualised communicationand attention. However, weare taking an important steptoward a more cohesivemanagement of the networkand hope that all franchiseeswill take full advantage of it.”Introducing the franchisees on the council.CarolineWeatherstonCaroline Weatherston runs ThePoverina, a former coaching innat Normanby on the outskirts ofMiddlesbrough. Before becoming aNorth region franchisee this year, 30year old Caroline had been employedby Marston’s across a variety ofroles and feels her experiences as aI feel motivated to strengthen thepub manager were key to equippingpartnership that franchisees haveher with the skills and knowledgewith marston’s for mutual benefitrequired of a franchisee. “I loved itand it fuelled my ambition to work formyself,” she said.joining the Council as an opportunity to and feel motivated to strengthen theCaroline is enthusiastic about sharing do just that. She said “I’m passionate partnership that franchisees haveher experiences as a franchisee and saw about the Marston’s franchise model with the company for mutual benefit.”Aaron StewartI wanted to be instrumental inrepresenting the south region’sfranchisees and shaping themultiple franchise modelANDREW EDWARDSRecently taking hisplace on the council isAndrew Edwards at theMonkstone Inn, Cardiff. Hefirst became a Marston’sfranchisee in April 2013and six months later healso opened a second pub,the Barn in Llantrisant.Andrew’s ambitious plansinclude having four pubswithin five years.Andrew genuinely benefitedfrom the structured adviceand training available fromMarston’s and now wantsto give something backto help the company andother franchisees like him.He said “I wanted to beinstrumental in representingtheSouthregion’sfranchisees and shaping themultiple franchise modelwithin Marston’s so that ithas a positive future.”Aaron Stewart at the Fairway franchise site and since takingin Sheffield has been it over in June 2013, Aaron hasshortlisted for the upcoming increased sales by over 40%.‘Young Franchisee of the Year’ Keen to be involved in thein the bfa HSBC Franchisee of Franchise Advisory Council fromthe outset, Aaron said “Throughthe Year Awards.Dedicated and ambitious, involvement in the Council, I28 year old Aaron has recently can help share my knowledgeopened his second franchise and experience and that of thesite, the Rufford in Mansfield Midlands region’s franchisees withand now heads up a team of over Marston’s to maintain its position75 people. The Fairway is as a leading franchise model andMarston’s highest turnover ensure constant improvement.”on the council, I can help share myknowledge and experience and thatFor more information aboutof the midlands region’s franchiseesthe Franchise Advisory Councilwith marston’s to maintain itsor starting a franchise withposition as a leadingMarston’s, call 0844 245 7422.franchise model7

8Summer 2014Summer 2014Old Spring Well’s long history revealedLocal historian Colin Waitehas uncovered the longhistory behind the Old SpringWell at Killinghall.TOP MARKS FOR MARSTON’SThe Customer Support Teams at was widened to include any company withMarston’s Beer Company have dedicated customer support services.“This award has really improved ourbeen given a prestigious Customerstandards and our team morale, too,” addedService Excellence award.“It’s a formal qualification that’s forced us torecognise where we are, what we can do to improve,how to be better and what we can do to measure ourprogress,” explained Rod Grainger, head of customersupport at Marston’s Beer Company.Previously called the Charter Mark, the CSEaward used to be exclusively for governmentand other public services. Two years ago, itRod. “Everyone’s really proud of what we’veachieved and we’re determined to keep it.”“The customer service teams provideoutstanding levels of service,” said PaulLatham, the award’s assessor. “There wereno partial compliances and three parts weredeemed to be worthy of Compliance Plusratings, which is rare but thoroughly deserved.”Paul was with theteams for two days,interviewing individualmembers and sitting inon live support calls.Rod continued: “Specialthanks go to Helen Lynch,Lynne Leitch, EmmaScorer, Heidi Bradley, Claire Tweed and SarahBayton from Wolverhampton; Linda Chilton,Anne Illsley, Geraldine Martin, Karen North, AnnaThompson and Wendy Browne from Burton.”IT’S A HARDYS LIFEIrene Crabtree is the luckywinner of a dream holidayto Australia, courtesy ofthe UK’s best-selling winebrand Hardys.MARAFUNGreg Drummond, Olympic silver medal winning curler,visited the Dunnichen Stone in Forfar as part of the pub’sparticipation in the annual Marafun event.“The Marafun raises money for all sorts of localcharities,” said Bruce Sheridan, manager of the pub. “Thisyear we sponsored the Sports Zone and helped to raisemore money with awishing well in thepub and by sellingcupcakes on Mother’sDay.” The Marafun isa long distance teamevent, which also hasshorter mini-milesevents for kids.Over the past 10years, the Marafunhas raised over 150,000 for theNinewellsCancerCampaign.“The pub was originally built to lookafter travellers on the toll road andturnpikes,” said Mr Waite, who addedthat the village can trace its historyas far back as the Domesdaybook. Thepub, which reopened last summer aftera major rebuilding and refurbishingprogramme, has a history going back atleast 250 years.“It was initially a small farmhousewhich became known as The Traveller’sRest,” added Mr. Waite a Killinghallresident and author of the village’smillennium book Reflections ofKillinghall. The original building used tobe one of three pubs that held councilmeetings for the village.”The pub has Mr. Waite’s work ondisplay, so anyone who’s interestedcan read it.“As a gesture of thanks to Mr. Waitefor his work, we’ve given a donationto the village hall restoration fund,”added Nigel Whitfield, area operationsmanager for Marston’s.Runexclusivelywitharound 250 Marston’s pubs,the competition first cameto Irene’s attention whenpurchasing a bottle of Hardysat her favourite pub, The BobbinMill pub in Buckshaw Village.Manager of The BobbinMill, Gerard Barnes said:“The competition was run inMarston’s pubs across thecountry so we were thrilled thatone of our own customers wonthe grand prize. We wish Irenea great holiday and just hopeshe remembers to send us apostcard to put behind the bar!”manager PROUD OFBRITAIN’S GOTTALENT NEPHEWGary Millard fromthe Hollow Tree pubin Bristol had causeto celebrate recentlywhen his pub becamethe epicentre of support for Britain’sGot Talent finalists, Bars and Melody.Charlie Lenehan, the duo’s 15 yearold singer is Gary’s nephew and hewas delighted when both Charlie andpartner Leondre made it through to thefinal. Gary said, “Our customers all gotbehind the youngsters right from thestart of the competition. I have beentouched by their support.”From left to Right. Gerard Barnes, landlord; Leisl Stewart, Hardys/Accolade Wines; Irene Crabtree, winner; Barbara Barnes, landladyJeannette Denning, manager atOld Spring Well with Colin Waite.Ghostly goings onat The ShipThe manager of one ofthe oldest pubs in GreaterLondon, has branchedout into film-making inpartnership with localamateur dramatic group,the Breakfast Cats TheatreCompany. Dean Terry ofThe Ship on Croydon’s HighStreet has also involved staffand some of the pub regularsin the making of the shortfilm entitled ‘The Lock In’.Dean, who has managed TheShip since 2005 said: “An avidfilm fan from a young age, my dadbought me a Super 8mm cameraand a projector and I made shortfilms using friends as actors.“After years of hearing ghoststories about The Ship, I decidedto roll back my film-makingyears and write and make a shortfilm based loosely on the storiesand tales about ghosts andhauntings. The film is turning outto be the first part of a trilogy.”9

10Summer 2014NewsSummer 2014Premium Bottledin BriefAle set to beMARSTON’S WINS TESCO CATEGORYSUPPLIER OF THE YEAR AWARDThe Marston’s Premium Bottled Ale(PBA) Report, launched in June revealsthat the category has a potential worthof 1bn by 2020. Last year’s report laidout the five year target to double thesize of the category to 660m by 2018,this year’s report clearly outlines thatcurrent results are well above thetarget of this original mission — withthe value of the category already space by retailers this year which has paidoff dividends, delivering an incremental 29mincreasing by 90m to 420m.Marston’s have been given an award by one of thebiggest supermarket chains around — Tesco.“This is fantastic recognition for a huge amountof industry-leading work being done across ourbusiness,” said Carl Middleton, head of take homeand export at Marston’s. “We were in competitionagainst all of the bigger multi-national suppliers in thiscategory and we beat them.”HOBGOBLINGOES FOR GOLDHobgoblin continues itscharge in the off trade withtwo summery additions to itsportfolio. A five litre mini caskis now being stocked on Tescoshelves nationwide, retainingall the characteristics thatcustomers expect of the UK’sNo.2 premium bottled ale.The range has also beenextended with HobgoblinGold, which although lighterin colour, is definitely nolightweight at 4.5% ABV.Combining four hop varieties and an infusionof wheat and malted barley, HobgoblinGold is a perfectly balanced golden beer.It is available in 8x550ml bottles fromwww.classicales.co.uk and selected Tescoand Waitrose stores.Chris Keating, marketing managerfor Wychwood Brewery said: “This isanother step forward in making Hobgoblinaccessible to a wider audience. The cask isperfect for summer barbecues and providesa fantastic gift for beer fans. Hobgoblin Goldexpertly captures the consumer desire forgolden beers.”New Build UpdateOur new build programme has gone fromstrength to strength with openings in placesas far afield as Southend, Weston Super Mare,Lancashire and Dunfermline.The Flying Shuttle in Haverhill, Sussex, forinstance, took off from day one.“We easily surpassed all of our expectations,” saidPaul Whiteman, area operations manager for Marston’s.The Mary Dillwyn, in Fforestfach in Wales, also hada great start. “It was great to see all those customerscoming through the doors.” said manager Steve Metcalf.worth 1bn by 2020To reach the coveted target by 2020, Marston’soutlines that three areas are pivotal to future success: Shopper engagement ( 210m) Retailer environment ( 280m) Innovation ( 90m)Customer behaviour has shown a leaning towardpremiumisation, with PBAs raking up a further500,000 shoppers over the last twelve months —beating the beer market growth — hands down.Head of take home & export at Marston’s BeerCompany, Carl Middleton said: “This continuing trendof premiumisation shows that consumers are happyto pay a fair price for quality, variety and taste thatthe PBA category offers them.“The category has been allocated morevalue — we are delighted that the growth of thecategory continues to exceed that of the beermarket in general and we are confident that itwill continue to do so.”Hobgoblin is definitely a clear winner in theoff trade, with a 20% growth Y-O-Y — cruciallybeing cited as the ‘most shopped ale brand’ andit also retains its crown as the ‘biggest recruiterbrand’ for the category.Carl adds: “The fastest growing overall beerstyles in the bottled ales are once again goldenand blonde beer varieties — and our recentproduct launches; New World Pale Ale and morerecently, Hobgoblin Gold will continue this trendwhich recruits new drinkers to the category.”TV debut for New World Pale AleGarden Grills forBBQ thrillsThe Garden Grill Company is a new“fast casual” food concept that haslaunched this summer in half a dozenMarston’s pub gardens. The Bell atTong, near Shifnal, was the first pubto feature this ‘pop up’ style concept.Marston’s New World Pale Ale madeits TV debut on the BBC regional newsprogramme, Midlands Today.As part of a report into Burton upon Trentas the ‘capital of brewing’, Midlands Todayreporter Bob Hockenhull interviewed technicalbrewer, Genevieve Upton and Pedigree brandmanager, Tom Lenihan about the resurgenceof cask ale.Genevieve explained that beer drinkers areenjoying the explosion in flavours from newand exciting ingredients. Tom then explainedhow Marston’s is drawing on its expertise toproduce new products like New World Pale Alefor the next generations of drinkers.Gaynor Green, Marston’s marketingmanager said: “This report highlights Burton’splace as a brewing town with continuedinvestment in the sector. At the same time it isexcellent exposure for New World Pale Ale asthe new brand from Burton.”The concept is all about new experiences —our existing customers can try something new infamiliar surroundings, while potential customersthat might not usually ‘do’ pub food have areason to give us a try and finally it gives ourhardworking bar and kitchen staff somethingnew to get involved in.Sites were selected based on a number offactors including its garden to kitchen ratio.The Garden Grill should help reduce wait timeswhen pubs with big gardens suddenly get verybusy when the sun pops out. The concept can beoperated 7 days a week in most locations.The menu is based on the principal that thereare two BBQ tribes: there are those that want tocustomise every last detail (the usual proteinsand grilled veg can be combined with amyriad of toppings and sides, and crammed in toa choice of wrap/bap/naan). Secondly, there’sthose that want to pick the signature dish thatturns heads (and fills stomachs) like The WholeHog, the Boss Burger or the Chickatikkanaan.Given the growing attraction of designerburgers — it’s hardly surprising that The GardenGrill Company is attracting herds of burger fans.Burgers (whether ‘DIY’ or one of the housespecials) make up almost 50% of sales.Una Beck Johnson,commercial marketing director at Marston’sInns & Taverns said: “We have some greatgardens and the new Garden Grill Companyconcept makes the most of them, while alsocapitalising on the trend towards BBQ and‘street’ food.”11

12Summer 2014Summer 201413RIDING TO THE RESCUEMarston’s team members have been getting on their bikes in big numbers lately, raising thousandsof pounds for charity in the process. Here are just four of the events they’ve been part of.BOWLING EVERYONE OVERThe Pedigree Maidens have been turning heads at the cricketagain — this time at the Tests at Lord’s Cricket Ground and theKia Oval for the second and fifth Tests against India.“The Maidens have been really popularwhenever they’ve appeared thissummer,” said Gaynor Green, Marston’smarketing manager.”Hobgoblin inBarcelonaA team from the Kingsbridge in Bourtonon the Water recently cycled back fromBarcelona — on a gaudy Hobgoblin tandem!The team covered over 1,200 miles and raisedover 6,500 before Marston’s topped it up withanother contribution of 500.A pretty astonishing achievement all told.Maasai and Marston’s shareRiding the riversMarston’s joined in with more bikefun in the Jennings River Rides onMay 25th.They’re a series of charity bike ridesthat start and finish in Keswick, helpingto raise funds for the Cumbria Foundation.All the proceeds went towards grantsfor local charities that work with visuallytheir finest traditionsimpaired people, the disabled, vulnerableyoung adults and lots more.Jennings works closely with theCumbria Foundation, and this year, twoteams of Marston’s employees, theirfriends and family got lycra-ed up to helpraise money for the charity. To date thecharity has raised 3 million.A group of Maasai Warriors from theRift Valley in Kenya popped in for apint at Marston’s Brewery in Burton.Crossing the countrySaddle sorethe hard wayIn May, James Coyle cycled fromLondon-Paris with 30 colleagues,helping to raise over 20,000 for acancer charity.It’s not just the employees and teammembers of Marston’s who are pedallingtheir way round the country for charity— at the end of June, Richard Westwood,Marston’s Beer Company managingdirector, took on one of the biggest andmost challenging events yet.from London to Paris“Thanks to everyone who sponsoredme,” added James. “I raised over 2,000and it’s very much appreciated. It’s a veryworthy cause and a huge thanks goes to theorganisers and support team, because wesimply wouldn’t have made it without them.”It wasn’t all plain riding, though.“I needed all the tips on gels and soothingcreams that I could get,” added James.“15 hours on a racing bike isn’t the mostcomfortable experience I’ve ever had!”Ian Bell celebrating thewin at Old TraffordThe glorious weather in July and early Augusthelped the Maidens to sell record amountsof Pedigree at both grounds, too, as thirstyspectators made the best of the heatwave.England will close out the summer witha five-match one-day series and T20 matchagainst India, before heading off to the subcontinent for an autumn tour.“It was the Aberdovey 3 Day Bike Challenge,” saidRichard. “Only 40 people entered the challenge, andI did it for the Macmillan Cancer Fund.”It was a serious challenge, too — over 300miles in just three days’ cycling from York toAberdovey, including part of Stage 2 of the Tourde France route and a very stiff alternative routeround DinasMawddwy.Richard has raised over 2,000 to date!The Oloip Maasai Dance Group are in the UK givingperformances of traditional Maasai dances, talks ontheir culture and demonstrations of making theirfamous bead jewellery.Whilst in the Burton area, they were keen tosee some of the town’s finest traditions in the formof the classic Burton pale ale, Marston’s Pedigreeand the brewer’s newest beer New World Pale Alecombined with a tour of the Victorian brewery.Raising a Pedito Father’s DayA few lucky Dads were treated to a tour around Marston’s Breweryand lunch to celebrate Father’s Day. Winners of a competition inthe Burton Mail were able to enjoy the sights and smells of thefamous brewery finishing with a sampling session and a slap-uplunch in the visitor centre.Winners of the trip were: Father and son, Jefferyand Simon Brian. Jeffery,from Burton, worked forInd Coope for 36 yearsas a forklift truck driver. Father and step-daughter, Father and son, theMartin Williams fromReverend John StarkeyStapenhill enjoyed his day(retired) from Doveridgewith his step-daughter,and David Starkey fromLindsey Pople from DerbyRolleston enjoyed a rare day— with Lindsey being one ofout. Normally they share asix children, he was lookingfew cans of beer at home.forward to a busy weekend.Group photo: (L-R) — Roy Burton, Lindsey Pople, Martin Willliams, Rev John Starkey,David Starkey, Barry and Annette Appleby, John Clarke, Alf Lowe with Jeffery and Simon Brian.

14Summer 2014Summer 2014Hobgoblin, the Unofficial Beer of Halloween, is atthe ready to unleash mischief during this year’sspooktacular season.As part of its aptly named‘Season of Mischief’, Hobgoblinis distributing 7,000 POS kitsto pubs across the country,making it the biggest Halloweencampaign to date. The new kitemblazoned with Hobgoblin’snew ‘Wheel of Misfortune’, willbe delivered to anyone orderingHobgoblin for the Season ofMischief, featuring: A pumpkin handpull topperand handpull Halloween sleevewith a flashing pump clip T-shirts Bar runner Drip matsAs a brand known for beingadventurous, this Halloweenwill be no different. Hobgoblinis hosting a live version of hisWheel of Misfortune. Fansare encouraged toaudition to take partin one of four liveshows broadcaston Halloween viawww.wychwood.co.ukandFacebook.There’s 5,000up for grabs andprizes like hisand hers sh

The Feather's Inn was chosen against stiff competition from hundreds of Marston's pubs up and down the country. The pub won the Marston's Community Pub of the Year award earlier in the same evening. "The Feather's Inn is a perfect example of a community pub — everybody is sure of a warm welcome,"