Orders UP! #3: Hospitality News
Spooky season is over, Christmas is on the horizon and you and I are getting closer to sipping on Baileys (or should we say Five Farms?) at midday.
We are now fully booked until the end of the year but 2027 is due to be our biggest year ever, so if you are thinking about re-evaluating your marketing plans be sure you don’t get half way through January and panic. We can just talk now and get a plan in place.
Okay lets delve into this months 3 courses.
STARTER | The “Jubel Effect”. Fruit beer is going off! |
The fruit beer category has hit £40 million in UK retail and the value of those sale have climbed to 69.4% over the past 12 months, according to new NIQ data.
The “Jubel Effect” is real, a perfect example of hitting the market with the right product at the right time, but Jubel do even more than this. They know exactly who they are.
Rooted in apres-ski, they party hard, outside, to great music. They crush cans, bring joy and turn everything up to 11. They have an app so you are never more than 10 minutes away from being able to grab one and they are bringing big DJ sets to your local venues.
Its no surprise they are dominating the market.
In honour of the “Jubel Effect” here are three more fruit beers. If Jubel is your bag, these are sure to be too:
Vault City 5.0%
Vault City excels in achieving balance, so while the name may suggest a sugary flavour, that’s not the case. It retains the essence of beer while offering an indulgent, sweet, and juicy experience.
Damm Lemon 3.2%
6 parts beer, 4 parts lemon and slightly fizzy.
Usually I would shout about Damm Lemon in summer but I personally think its pretty great all year round. A shady with a bit of extra class.
Schöfferhofer Grapefruit 2.5%
Is it everyone’s go to for a low abv fruit beer? Maybe.
If you haven’t had one. Its a great please to start. Unfiltered wheat blended with naturally carbonated grapefruit, it is tangy and sweet with a little sourness to finish.
MAIN | The Budget. It’s bleak. The real Hospitality News: |
I don’t want our Main to be a buffet today. Instead think of it as one big plate of heavy, badly made pasta but we’ve all got to eat... so lets speed through it.
No VAT cut. Rising employment costs. Beer Duty Hike.
And only a small increase in the business rate threshold. A benefit for a small number of business.
Its hard not to feel like we are floating around in space and no one can hear us screaming!
It is unrealistic to continually raise employment costs while expecting businesses to maintain job creation and a hike in beer duty will surely push some venue owners to their very limits. Meaning? More job cuts, more closures.
However there is that silver lining in the business rates - so are the government willing to listen? It seems they have heard a whimper, so we must continue to scream!
DRINKS | A quick dip into a couple of thing we’ve tried recently: |
A couple of weeks ago I went down to Whitworth Locke to meet with the Bord Bia (Irish Food Board), who had brought 16 producers over to Manchester to showcase their products. Five Farms blew me away. The branding is beautiful, the bottle perfection, served ice cold it really is the good stuff. So if you are looking to elevate your Irish Cream offering or just have a family member who loves Baileys, why not grab a bottle of this instead. | |
Well who should I see when I step into the room? It’s only Bob Coggins! If you know you know. If you don’t I highly recommend trying to find him, the man, the myth, the legend. It was so good to try a White Hag beer again and their Hazy IPA Phantom was really bloody good you know! Its just 4.0%, bright with a little citrus nature. I had planned on leaving at 8pm, I got home at midnight... |
Some venue recommendations:
For many reasons today’s recommendations are Mollie’s and Albert Schloss. I know I said they would be less Manchester, and technically they are because both have venues else where but we really have to shout out their generosity! More on this below!
I have eaten in both places recently and the service and food have been excellent. I forget about Schloss sometimes because its such a staple but when friends visit its always a place I recommend to meet because its so impressive. We had picky bits (a selection of plates) and they were delicious. You cannot beat a pretzel from Schloss - Fact.
At Mollie’s, we had the chicken and waffles, coffee and drinks all served by the lovely Max who couldn’t do enough for us. If you are looking for a great brunch spot, with beautiful design and great staff, you really can’t go wrong.
DESSERT | An update from HSCM HQ: |
Okay so it was time to take a little rest, before my body gave up, I think. Thank you half term. Shout out to all the parents who did it alone and obviously got immediately sick! We have been so busy for the last two months I definitely needed to take my foot of the accelerator a little but that doesn’t mean we haven’t still be ticking things off the list... First up we had a photoshoot for The Maren Agency. A day that could’ve felt very cringe (cool 😉), was so fun and exciting. We have loads to show you but here are a few BTS shots while we wait for them to come through. A HUGE thank you to Kelsea for being an incredible director/photographer and everything else in between. Patsy for helping all day and jumping in front the camera too. Annnnd to Mollie’s and friend of the agency, James who kindly let us upstairs in the Albert Hall! I am so so grateful! We have also found an amazing Social Media Manager to join the crew - Ellie! More to come on this soon too. Follow us on the link below to see the first shots and how we are planning for 2027! |
THE CHECK(IN) |
Are you looking for on-going support? As we continue towards the gig-economy there are a lot more options for how you can get support. At HSCM you will get the highest standard, proven expertise and all done with warmth. We don’t talk waffly marketing nonsense, we work out what your teams need and how to action that.
If you require B2B support for your sales team, activation planning, or even a simple marketing health check, schedule a free call with me.
Alternatively, you can email patsy@holleighstevenson.co.uk, and she will assist in organising a convenient time for us to connect!
TABLE TALK | Cool stuff we are inspired by: |
J Cole:
Sorry to my friends. I promise I will shut up about it soon, but it was AMAZING!
Hip hop shows can be hit or miss and Cole really brough IT to the Coop Live! He appeared next to me to start the show, had a flying Honda Civic and he gave us the hits too. Just all in all a great night for me!
The Designers Republic:
Working with Verdant has introduced me a few things, the noughties sitcom Early Doors, Polish Movie Posters and The Designers Republic.
As a Barnsley girl I have heard of Sheffield’s TDR before but never delved into why they were so influential. From Moloko’s album artwork to the posters for the first Grand Theft Auto they are worth a deep dive!
Still time to grab a ticket to Verdant in conversation with TDR.
Always On with Mariana Hyde:
As a big This is Entertainment fan its really interesting to see Mariana make the move over to YouTube.
Its an interesting time with the likes of Amelia Dimoldenberg saying goodbye to Chicken Shop for more traditional media roles/job whilst the figureheads of Traditional Media make the move over to the online platform.
I am watching with an eager eye.
Comments