What Are You Doing About The Smoking Ban?
As you know, the potential impact for the On Trade since the Government’s decision to embrace a total smoking ban is particularly significant. It is no exaggeration to say that pubs and clubs are one of the last havens for smokers wishing to enjoy the pleasures of a “fag”, pipe or cigar and a “quiet pint”. It is for this reason that I believe that the time for action, to address the impending legislation (whenever that may be), is now.
The biggest differentiating factor between the successful and unsuccessful outlets in Ireland was the degree to which they embraced the change. Those outlets that took early measures to prepare their smoking customers experienced little or no impact upon their business. Indeed, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that their businesses actually grew, largely at the expense of those retailers who preferred to “wait and see” what happened post-ban or believed that their regular customers would remain loyal. This situation was exacerbated by a number of pubs and clubs whose premises were “landlocked”. This is to say that they had little or no land outside the premises with which to provide a smoking facility. It is in these outlets that the toughest business challenges existed.
2. CREATE THE BEST FACILITY YOU CAN
Positive marketing of the smoking facilities demonstrated to existing and new customers that they were being directly catered for and not treated like “second class citizens”.
• Pubs and clubs were all able to create a point of difference to their competitors by the quality of their smoking canopy.
• New customers actively sought out those outlets with the best facilities, evident by the new word to enter the Irish lexicon “Smirting” (ie smoking and flirting!!!!).
• It is a statement of fact that the ONLY customers who will be using your smoking facilities in the middle of January will be the smokers! THINK JANUARY NOT JULY.
• View the facility as an INVESTMENT rather than a cost. An investment in a smoking canopy can be re-couped within a year for around two pints a day!!
Smoking Canopies Ltd is the only truly dedicated provider of smoking solutions to the licensed On Trade. The designs of their products have been developed with the specific needs of pubs and clubs in mind. These are a direct result of the learnings and findings from a study trip they undertook to Ireland and Scotland to understand the impact of the ban there. Interestingly, despite the differences to the rest of the UK in these markets, the successful outlets nearly all shared three common factors:
What Differentiates the Successful Outlets?
Learnings from Ireland and Scotland bans:
1. ACT NOW
Those outlets that took early action to provide a smoking facility for their customers actually saw their trade either maintained or, in several cases, increase. Encouraging their smoking customers to use the “new” facility over a longer period of time allowed them to get used to the idea of going outside for a smoke. Thus, by the time the ban was introduced all of their existing customers were used to the practice of smoking outside.
