Ei Group has just held its annual Retail and Supplier Conference at Franklin Gardens, the home of the Northampton Saints rugby club, updating attendees on the group’s corporate objectives and how they can collaboratively work together to help publicans grow their business.
The day focused on the support and initiatives Ei Group is now offering its publicans across its large and diverse estate to deliver better retail capability, setting them up for continued success. The event was attended by the Group’s field based teams and suppliers who were keen to share best practice and improve on ways of working.
Simon Townsend, Ei Group’s Chief Executive Officer, (pictured), opened the conference, updating delegates on group strategy to drive quality, whilst implementing key learnings from the wider pub market to improve business performance. He also outlined how Ei Group was harnessing greater levels of consumer insight, as well as detailing its £80m investment in its pubs this financial year.
The day was anchored around presentations from senior Ei Group staff on the topics of raising retail standards and supporting publicans, highlighting Ei Group’s core values of innovation, respect and commerciality.
James Armitage, Ei Group’s Group Services Director, said, “We provide a number of digital and physical support tools to help our publicans drive sales. We have a large and diverse estate where each pub has a different need and perfect offer. This day allows us to articulate this and work out ways in which we can support them best.
“An important part of the business is about educating our publicans and creating a learning organisation, through developing our support tools such as Pub Principles, a manual for publicans containing hints and tips on how to run a great pub and the annual eilive roadshows. If our publicans gain the knowledge and training needed, inevitably we increase sales, as do suppliers, and everyone is a winner.”
In a separate presentation from Ei Group’s Procurement Director, Miles Selby, suppliers heard how the company is evolving its way of working with them. He also launched the group’s new Retail Standards Audit, which covers 11 fundamental steps to getting a great pub proposition, including kerb appeal, pricing, marketing, product quality and staff engagement.
Selby added, “Our aim is to grow long-standing relationships with our suppliers and in doing so, I urge them to work in-line with our objectives and clear Retail Agenda, to support our publicans to gain success and stand out in their own local communities.”
During the conference, Ei Group announced its revitalised awards programme for publicans – Awards for Excellence. Comprising of 16 categories, including; Best Multi-Operator; Best Food Offer; Cellar Standards; and Pub of the Year; the awards will go live in January 2018.