decline of pubs + impact on vending

[part-time-operator]

i've got a lot of pub sites, and I lost 7 of them in the last week. I was chatting to a friend who owns 4 pubs and he told me vending operators are crazy to be buying machines and putting them in pubs/social clubs/licensed venues. There are always headlines saying "100 pubs shut a month" etc and I'm sure we'll notice a lot of closures in the next couple of months.

so is my friend right? is it foolish to build a business around these sites? and if so, what can we do?

[Ade]

mike you got to have a balance, pubs and clubs will always be there but i have factorys, football grounds, barbers, garages, and rugby clubs amongst others, dont hear of a lot of social clubs closing but pubs always are, ive even got 3 chippys.

Ade

[choice vending]

A site that is not a pub and does 28 + sales a month is a good site. better than a pub that does 35+ sales per week in my opinion. This type of site will likely be open in the morning and unlike to go bust on u. sober customers that are more likely to be respectfull of your machines. I used to be 95% pubs and clubs but its more like 85% now and decreasing due to other types of sites i am getting. A ballanced business is not one that only has pubs as its sole income.


regards
Brian

[Snackmore]

Lost a pub tonight averaging £73 a month (only had it 3 months) on Help 4 Heroes. Basically their sales of deserts (its an independent foodie place) has more or less stopped and the landlady over heard a family offering the kids a desert or a pot of sweets, gutted that place would have been a goldmine in the summer.............................

Got them thinking about a kiddies ride instead though so fingers crossed

[FlintVending]

I agree with Ade but I would like to add there are very many good pubs out there that will ride out this reccession and they normally free houses ( ie free of beer tie from the greedy breweries.)
If anything, the pubs that are left are getting busier due to the floundering ones closing down!
I am much more picky than I used to be with pubs and I always make sure I get mobile numbers now as landlines dont seem to last.
Had a pub go belly up few days back, sent the landlord a text and reply came back telling me of a local who had a key, even though he had done a runner owing suppliers thousands!
thats the great thing about vending, we dont get burned as bad as some suppliers as money is left in machine, hopefully.
Chippys and the like never seem to do as well as a busy pub, just be picky as I still reckon there is good business in pubs if you pick the winners and supply them with ALL vending like washroom, toys, lighters sweets and pringles and biscuits in the megapots, works for me!!

[Rossi fan]

Hi, I agree with Nigel, there are a lot of pubs that will ride out the recession, but I also think we should diversify and take the advice of others like Brian and Ade. Try new business types and see how they go for you I would say. Avoid golf clubs though, as I have found them awful.

Cheers,

paul

[Big Chris]

I have a really good golf club.

Bit slow winter average £15 per month,

Good in summer well over the £100 per month.

Mike, you say 100+ pubs shutting per month, and you are correct but that will have very little impact on your business, as that will be a figure based on the whole of the UK, so proportionality to your area, there will be some closures but not a huge amount, not enough for people to look at getting out of pubs. I would say that in most peoples businesses the higher percentage of sites will be pub sites. As Nigel says, its about picking the right ones and ensuring you maxamise what you have in there, to return maxamim profits.

[dorsetvending]

Chris

Did you get your machines into the mall?
regards

Gavin

[rockhopper]

Can any of you guys out there tell me what stock you put into towers that are in golf clubs and factories, surely it's not jelly type sweets. I have a possible factory site, but don't want to put the wrong sort of sweets in.

Thanks
Gus

[Big Chris]

Gavin,

I have contacted Jack, but am still waiting a reply.