As Star Pubs & Bars reaches its 200th Smart Dispense installation, new analysis of the impact of Smart Dispense on beer sales reveals an 8% sales uplift post installation. As a result Star Pubs & Bars is accelerating its roll out of the system, doubling the number of installations by the end of the year.
Increases in dispense yield + uplift in sales
Lessees have seen an increases in dispense yield, which means 3% more beer in the glass and 3% less into the drip trays, worth thousands of pounds to lessees a year. This combined with the 8% uplift in sales means an increase of around 7915 pints a year per pub.
Chris Jowsey, trading director said: “Passion for Quality is at the heart of what we do from beer production through dispense and into our consumer’s glass and it’s proven to impact positively on lessees’ bottom line. As well as the 8% uplift in sales SmartDispense has delivered a reduction in line clean wastage, saving 1m litres of water and 6,000 litres of line cleaner chemicals across these 200 pubs, providing an additional saving to lessees amounting to £5m whilst also benefiting the environment.”
The Brunswick, Swansea demonstrates the quality halo effect
The Brunswick is a traditional pub just off the city centre, with an 80/20 wet/dry ratio. Renowned as a real ale pub offering live acoustic music, it has a discerning and regular clientele aged between 18 and 80.
In March 2014 when lessee Allan Rohman, who at the time had run The Brunswick for 13 years, decided to install a SmartDispense system, it was for financial reasons rather than quality. “I have to be honest what appealed to me was the financial factor rather than looking at it from a quality perspective. I liked the fact that it was going to reduce costs in terms of cellar cooling, from rightsizing the cellar, plus less fobbing and line cleaning waste. What we weren’t expecting however was the flipside – to see the boost in sales on the back of the improved quality, especially as we were already known for the quality of our offer.
“Sales of Heineken went from two 11s to between four and five 11s per week after the installation of Smart Dispense, though part of that increase can be attributed to Heineken Served Extra Cold. Our premium lagers going through the system and our beers increased after the installation of the SmartDispense and a year down the line our sales are still increasing, up another 2%. It’s kept us alive.
“It’s my belief that there’s a quality halo effect. If you have a group drinking if the majority of them are happy they’ll stay on for more, if not they’ll move on. That’s the SmartDispense effect. But it takes more than just the equipment. You have to have the right well trained and well informed staff who know how to pour and serve a pint correctly and can pass on their knowledge to customers.
“As for the ease of use, it’s a lot easier changing kegs. There’s no bleeding cellar buoys and it’s all done when the red light turns green. It’s also freed up time, and time after all is money!”