Leisure Media Issue 3 2009 - Leisure Opportunities

Under Clare Young’sdirection, Young & Co.’simproved their bottomline by offering wine bythe glass and becomingthe first pub companyto install a serious winepreservation systemfrom an optic cabinet or was available ondraught,” she shudders.Young was determined it would be differenton her watch. “I was on a missionto change the way things were done andso as fast as they were putting in wine ontap, I was taking it out.”After winning over the board, Youngmade wine stations and displays partof each pub refurbishment and set towork convincing publicans of the need tointroduce wine by the glass. And underher direction, Young’s was the first pubcompany to install a serious wine preservationsystem. The result of all was asurge in wine sales throughout the estate.LICENSED BUSINESS SHOW AT LIWClare Young will be hosting and delivering the wine education programmeat the Licensed Business Show at LIW this September. Free to attend, thepresentations will target owners, buyers and managers from pubs, bars andclubs as well as other licensed leisure venues, and will focus on introducinga sales and training culture into your business. Delegates will discover howwine can help them increase both sales and profit in every area of their business,not just wine. They will learn how to implement a wine-by-the-glassprogramme and how to train their staff to develop their understanding ofwine, increase their confidence and ultimately, increase sales.Other aspects of the presentations will include marketing strategiesto attract more wine drinkers and ways to work with wine suppliers toboost profit. For more information on the opportunities available as part ofVintellect’s wine programme at LIW, contact Chris Brown on 020 7955 3968or email chris.brown@ubm.com.EDUCATE STAFF FORGREATER REWARDSWith these credentials it’s easy to seewhy Young’s skills are in demand, but dooperators still need to be educated aboutwine today when it’s rare to find a pub,bar or hotel that doesn’t offer a wineselection? Apparently so, and particularlyin these troubling times, says Young.“Now is the time of survival of the fittestwhere owners and operators have to geteverything right, and that includes wine.”Often considered a difficult product,wine can get neglected, but operatorsdo this at their peril, she warns. “Winepresents a massive opportunity toincrease your customer base by attractingwine-drinkers who also bring theirfood-eating friends, which all helps toincrease sales and profit. Operators aremissing a trick if they don’t make winework for them.”It’s for this reason that Young is astrong advocate of wine educationand runs BIIAB and WSET accreditedcourses as well as bespoke coursesfor both management and general staff.Conducted on site or online, the coursesteach everything from the history of wineand the various wine classifications towine tasting, serving and food matchingas well as marketing and merchandising.She says the benefits of investing inwine education will be felt across thebusiness and by both staff and customersalike. Giving staff a greaterunderstanding of wine gives them theconfidence to recommend better qualitywines to customers, so when someoneasks for a house wine they can makeISSUE 3 2009 © cybertrek 2009Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 65