Enterprise boosts pub estate with £11.5m investment: Enterprise Inns has invested more than £11.5m on upgrading its pub estate in the first few months of the company’s new financial year, with sites across the north of England receiving a major slice of the total spend. More than £4m has been invested on improving pubs across the north, including nearly £500,000 for the Beacon estate, the highly supported managed tenancy model that provides a “simple, value-for-money wet-led offer” to publicans. The Baht’ap in Leeds city centre is among the latest pubs within the Enterprise leased and tenanted estate to benefit from refurbishment, with a £130,000 upgrade to facilities, supporting a new retail offer, which is focused on craft beer. Run by Stewart Taylor, a successful multiple operator who also has another Enterprise site – the Black Hat, in Ilkley – the Baht’ap will be launching a new street food offer this week to complement the craft ale selection, which has a strong Yorkshire twist. Elsewhere, more than £180,000 has been invested in the Sir Thomas Brown, Eaglescliffe, which has a new multi-operator from Ginger Village Pubs at the helm. Using the new Enterprise segmentation model, the company worked with publicans John and Donna Price to reposition the pub from what was a fully wet-led local. A new kitchen has been added so the pub can introduce more of a food-based proposition, supported by the creation of one open plan lounge bar. Enterprise sales and marketing director James Armitage said the segmentation model was playing an increasingly influential role in supporting the company’s on-going capex programme across the estate. “As segmentation becomes more embedded within the business, our operations teams are using it in the planning process with publicans enabling pubs to be repositioned where necessary so the retail offer is the most appropriate for the customers and location,” he said.

 

Greene King pledges to take on 10,000 apprentices: Pub retailer and brewer Greene King has pledged to take on 10,000 apprentices over the next three years. The company said by 2019 it expects to have supported more than 17,000 apprentices in just eight years. It follows last year’s pledge made by Greene King to hire 2,000 apprentices in the 12 months to March 2016 – a pledge the company not only met, but exceeded. Chief executive Rooney Anand said: “We are thrilled to have exceeded our 2015 apprenticeship target. The fact that we are now aiming to hit an even higher target of 10,000 is a reflection that as a leader within the UK’s hospitality industry, we believe we have a responsibility to support young people by creating these opportunities to earn and learn. Not only do we want to ensure our apprentices have a great experience, we want to continue to improve the programme itself. We will provide the best advice and guidance to potential learners so they understand their commitment and ensure the qualification is best suited to their career aspirations.” One of the apprentices to have risen through the ranks is Lindsey Parr. Now a general manager at Sherwood Manor, Nottingham, and supporting other Greene King apprentices, Parr is also leading a Greene King team of nine apprentices as part of the Brathay Apprentice Challenge. Since its launch in 2011, the Greene King apprenticeship scheme has to date helped support over 7,400 apprentices to achieve a qualification while working across the group’s pub, restaurant and hotel outlets. The scheme offers bespoke qualifications that cover a range of job roles, including front-of-house, kitchen and management, which are tailored to each of the Greene King retail brands.