Retail Responsibly

 

Your walking on thin ice if you think your safe from the flexing arm of the law.

•The prevention of crime and disorder

•The protection of children from harm

The licensing reform has really put businesses in the spotlight when it come to these two licensing objectives in particular. Of course all four carry the same weight but most fall fowl of these two if any.
It certainly isn't hard for the authorities in charge to push you down the road of review if that's their desire and believe me it happens. Call me a cynic but not all licensing officers of the law have the best intentions for your business and some may just push the boundaries.
The government is already planning to double the fine for underage sales to £20,000, as part of its shake-up of the licensing laws.
But local authorities and police have to face up to weaknesses and inconsistencies in their approach to the problem.
There needs to be consistencies across the UK so retailers are able to formulate and implement national, company-wide policies to tackle underage sales, and train sales staff more effectively to meet higher expectations.”
And why can't more convictions take place of people trying to buy alcohol when underage!!

Figures currently show that in 2010 the on-trade failed  ID checks 23% of the time – which is better than 46% in 2008 and the off trade failed 34% – down 10% from two years ago.
As the new council licensing policies are being written nearly draft copy I have seen so far has a recommendation for Level 1 Responsible Alcohol Retail training for all staff. Its working in Scotland and will only be a matter of time I feel before England and Wales follow suit.

Selfishly promoting myself!!

I wrote this year for my own business MJR Morgan a course aimed at just that. I wrote it as a operator myself and so it ticks all the boxes.

• Easy to access
• Inexpensive at just £20 per staff member
• Covers all the learning outcomes of the BII equivalent
• http://www.mjrmorgan.co.uk/serve-smart-e-courses

Serve Smart is aimed at business managers, owners and alcohol retail staff, bar staff, students planning to work in a bar, off licenses and anybody who plans to sell alcohol to the public. It demonstrates commitment to responsible alcohol retailing. It enables those who successfully pass to act within the law and to support the designated premises supervisor, to retail alcohol responsibly on their licensed premises.
Serve Smart gives than a first class understanding of the knowledge required to legally and responsibly retail alcohol.
The course will demonstrate what you need to know to responsibly retail alcohol and is available to complete online, in your own time with a multiple choice exam at the end. On successful completion, you will be accredited and certificated by MJR Morgan in Serve Smart Responsible Alcohol Retail.
The Serve Smart Responsible Alcohol Retail Course also provides additional protection to licensed premises operators and candidates alike as it contains 3 particular modules that ensure every candidate fully understands the legislation concerning underage sales, serving persons who are drunk and the licensing objectives.
Serve Smart is also ideal for students who may be considering a new or part time position in a licensed premises and will certainly go a long way to showing understanding and commitment of the position, to future employers.

http://www.mjrmorgan.co.uk/serve-smart-e-courses

Licensing Expert: Licensing Expert

Licensing Expert: Licensing Expert: "When I fell into the world of Licensing in 1990, I had no idea that it consume my life for the next 20 years and beyond. Since the beginnin..."

Why are we always to blame

Calling for Change

Since yet another amendment back in April to the licensing laws even more pubs, clubs and bars are struggling to keep their heads above the water. 

Labours’ Alan Johnson said last January, "The voluntary code for retailers is not working so we have decided to introduce a mandatory one which means no more irresponsible promotions and a legal obligation to ask people to verify their age. “Prevented from holding speed drinking competitions and promoting "all you can drink for £10" type offers.

This I can live with and I totally see the point but the issue isn't with the on trade, It’s with the off, so why are supermarkets still allowed to retail alcohol below cost price. It seem one rule for them.......I somehow fail to see where the level playing field is.

From October, all licensed premises will be required to offer drinks in smaller measures and tap water for free. Again a good idea but again another piece of legislation thrust upon us and I've never seen supermarket give away free water!!

I'm moaning, but in my on-going fight on behalf of the on trade, I and all those who agree with me must fight our corner and re-balance the rules.

So where do I think it’s gone wrong?

When the labour government overhauled the licensing laws in 2003 that came in to force in 2005, most of what they did the industry agreed with. I'm pretty comfortable with the current rules, the system is easier and it’s easier to move around the industry and into different jobs.

Where the labour went wrong is the cafe culture idea. Trying to create a European type culture in the UK hasn't worked. Great idea, no cigar. They wanted people to spread out the public's alcohol consumption and not to be forced in and out of venues restricted by time. What has actually happened is alcohol consumption has spiralled out of control by driving alcohol underground......i.e. "home"

Prior to the changes you could buy alcohol cheap from supermarkets and off licensees but you largely didn’t bother. Why? Because if your planned a night out and it involved pubs you knew you only had until 11pm and 2am if you wanted a club. This made people go out and out early. Pubs and bars made money until 11pm and clubs made money after.

Pubs, bars and clubs controlled the amount people drank. The public were restricted by the cash in their pockets. The public drank where they could be seen, moderated by responsible retailers. Ok there were poor operators but in the main it was good. This for me is key and what upsets me the most when I see the on on-trade being blamed for problems and squeezed by legislation. 

I don't blame supermarkets of jumping on the market. That's business. What I do blame is the government and the lob sided way they are tackling it.

So what do I want?

A change back to the old licensing laws. Not Sundays that was idiotic, but general hours. 10am-11pm one license, 9pm-3am another. Take your pick which one you want for your business.

When should it happen?

As soon as we can so we don't miss a generation and delay so long it’s irreversibly damaged.

The Tories accuse Labour of encouraging a binge-drinking culture with 24-hour licensing laws.

The Coalition pledge to "take back control of town and city centres".

A Tory government would give councils powers to impose a "late-night levy" on off-licences open after 10.30pm, and drinks venues open after midnight.

The tax revenues would be used to pay for the cost of extra policing and clearing up in problem areas.

Maximum fines for landlords and off-licences who repeatedly sell to children will be doubled.

"It's time we took back control of our town and city centres, and turned them back into places where people can have a good night out without the fear of being caught up in a culture of binge drinking and anti-social behaviour."

"We need to scrap the Government's late-night licensing regime, give local people back powers over the number of licensed premises in their areas, and introduce charges for late-night licences to pay for better policing.

"We can't go on with the binge-drinking culture that has built up under Labour."

Mr Prime Minister, Collation Government, Please join my blog.........................

Licensing Expert

When I fell into the world of Licensing in 1990, I had no idea that it consume my life for the next 20 years and beyond.

Since the beginning of my career as a young trainee manager of the Broadway Boulevard nightclub in Llandudno there have been significant and wholesale changes that has changed the face of the industry and not for the better I hasten to add!

At the risk of sounding a little corny, but when I was younger the bar and club world was a different story. The core ethos hasn't changed, it’s still boy meets girl, dancing, meeting and of course drinking. But was has change significantly are the number of people going out, the amount of money that’s spent. Even in 1988 and those who can remember that far back, may recall the Hitman and Her programme on ITV. You remember the one, Peter Waterman and Michaela Strachan and the then infamous "Wiggy" the black dancer with the blond wig. Clive, his real name and now a good friend of mine is still on the circuit and two hip replacements later, still dancing!!

Anyway back in 1988 the Hitman and Her was a regular at the Palace nightclub in Blackpool. First Leisure’s flag ship venue, 4000 clubbers and a queue snaking a quarter of a mile. Not a cheap place to go either, £5-£10 admission back then but on Hitman nights £15. But Blackpool in 1988 would have 25000 people out in the town on a Saturday night and most would be out all day. Bars tills would overflow with tourist and local’s cash and by 11pm be done and dusted before handing over the mantle to the clubs. The Palace, well Saturday takings alone would range anything from £60-£10000. What operators would give for that now.....?

I am going to keep blogs relatively small and manageable to read and enjoy over a coffee.

Over the next few years I will write blogs not about looking back, but looking forward, how licensing will affect us in the future and how I think we need to change in order to adapt to the change.

The Licensing business has been good to me; I have a partnership in Club Sanuk Blackpool, one of the largest and most successful in the UK. I also own MJR Morgan and produce training and consultancy for the industry.

I will be posting blogs about every aspect of the business, from bars, and door staff to standing out and being different.

I am an expert in marketing, promotion and event management and will post useful tips and tricks to maximise profit.

Effectively this will be an online blog come e-book. "Everything License"........Thanks for reading