by Abby Henson | 6 Nov, 2017 | Blog, Press & News
At S4Labour, we understand the wide range of systems that contribute to the successful running of a modern hospitality business.
S4Labour’s Gareth Thomas
We have an active integration with Welcome Systems, market-leading providers of Property Management software. This allows optimisation of scheduling in sites offering overnight accommodation, with demand for housekeeping and food service staff driven by room occupancy rates and sales of meal packages.
Welcome Systems produce an informative monthly podcast, which this month featured S4Labour’s Gareth Thomas. In Gareth’s role of Business Development Manager, he works closely with key people at our integration partners to ensure our relationships stay strong and productive. Here he joined John Jones, Welcome Systems’ MD, to discuss an analytical approach to labour management and its impact on productivity, staff satisfaction, profits, and the guest experience. The podcast can be heard below.
If you would like to discuss implementing a Property Management System integration to your S4Labour account, call 01295 267400 or email your account manager today.
by Abby Henson | 3 Nov, 2017 | Blog, Press & News
On Wednesday we were fortunate enough to sponsor the final Propel Multi Club Conference of the year. With industry leaders and entrepreneurial talent from a range of sectors scheduled to speak, we were eager to hear what they had to say.
With an abundance of knowledge in their respective areas, we were provided with real insight from each speaker during the day, and their enthusiasm and passion shone through. Supplemented by thorough, intelligent questioning from Kate Nicholls (ALMR), James Haycon (Thai Leisure Group), and Propel’s own Paul Charity, we ended the day with plenty to think about. Here are the key messages we took home with us.
Investing Wisely Breeds Success
Capital investment company Imbiba’s portfolio includes a number of S4Labour clients, and it was fantastic to hear about their thorough investment process from an energetic Darrel Connell. Creating an upmarket home-from-home with a comfortable yet exclusive atmosphere is a key feature of Imbiba-backed venues. This echoes the wider industry trends for premiumisation. The thought and tactical planning behind Imbiba’s investments was clear to see and their existing investments are shining examples of their success.
Ron Pearson of Bowmark Capital delivered an astute insight into the world of private equity investment. Bowmark are supporting the hospitality industry through strategically selected investments such as the Drake & Morgan bar and restaurant brand. S4Labour have been working with Drake & Morgan for a year and a half, during which time they have seen significant expansion and acquired the Corney & Barrow brand. The scalability of Drake & Morgan is evident, with their success driven by great leadership and consistency across sites.
Differentiation is Key in a Competitive Market
Sameer Shetty of Hubbox takes to the stage
Sharing secrets of how Hubbox have found an edge in a competitive market was their head of operations, Sameer Shetty. Standing in for MD Richard Boon, Sameer did a brilliant job conveying the huge amount of passion driving their business forward.
With Hubbox’s offer focussing predominantly on burgers, it could be argued that this market has become saturated in recent times. Hubbox’s answer to the competition is to leverage their Cornish roots. Located in a region with an abundance of high-quality produce, Hubbox have developed fruitful relationships with local suppliers and sourced fantastic ingredients, making them truly stand out from the crowd.
It is always brilliant to see one of S4Labour’s newer customers thriving. Having initially been introduced to Hubbox by their new chairman, Alex Reilly, we are certainly looking forward to working with them more, especially with such passionate individuals at the helm.
Invest in People
Fuller’s Inns are an industry leader when it comes to food and beverage delivery. Managing director Jonathan Swaine provided us with an overview of how Fuller’s are leading from the front. Jonathan’s enthusiasm for people was clear to see, and it was fantastic to hear that this has been translated into new ‘people-driven’ initiatives and development programmes. Fuller’s have responded to the increasing demand for fresh food and the comparative sparsity of quality chefs by investing in kitchen development schemes. Other leading operators would certainly be wise to follow suit.
Fuller’s Inns certainly have a lot to be celebrating, and Jonathan himself will have been in high spirits as his beloved Brentford F.C. recorded a 2-0 win over Birmingham City later that evening. We look forward to seeing how Fuller’s continue to lead from the front and challenge the status quo.
Experiential Hospitality Concepts are Blossoming
Matt and Jeremy in full swing
Jeremy Symonds and Matt Grech-Smith, founders of the Institute of Competitive Socialising, gave an engaging presentation about the journey of their crazy golf, food, and drinking concept, Swingers. Throughout their presentation, it was clear to see the passion both individuals had for their budding business, and with a new site opening in the West End in 2018, they are expanding on the back of their success. Both individuals have a background in branding, and have used this to their advantage, creating a sustainable business model and ensuring Swingers is not just a fad. The success of Swingers has demonstrated the demand for experiential hospitality concepts.
Another thriving experiential hospitality offering is Lucky Voice. Nick Thistleton, founder of the karaoke bar business, spoke eloquently about the story of Lucky Voice whilst giving us an insight into his personal journey along the way. Within the challenges and distractions that Lucky Voice experienced during their early years lies an important message – focus on your core offering and play to your strengths. The Lucky Voice concept is simple yet brilliant, and by sticking to what they do best, their continued success has been achieved.
Communication is Key
A consistent strength of Propel events is the variety of the speakers. Mark Sheasby of Impress Performance gave a gripping presentation on methods and techniques used within his role as a performance coach.
Drawing on his experience within the police hostage negotiation department, Mark shared both entertaining and traumatic stories in a truly immersive performance. He challenged the audience to consider how they communicate with customers, and how we can all develop our communication skills to improve service levels and customer satisfaction.
A Loyal Customer Base Provides Stability
Eric Partaker, co-founder of Mexican restaurant Chilango spoke candidly about the story of his brand and the challenges they have overcome to be in the position they are in today. With 11 sites in prime locations, Chilango’s offer can be summed up in one word, vibrancy, and Eric certainly epitomised this during his presentation.
Chilango have maintained a loyal customer base throughout their existence and this has paid dividends in the long run, with crowd funding campaigns and the innovative ‘Burrito Bond’ raising money in times of need. Chilango’s ability to earn a passionate following has been a key element of their success, and, judging by Eric’s optimism, there’s plenty of opportunity for Mexican restaurants to thrive in the current climate.
Embrace Technology
Simon Chaplin, Head of Pubs & Restaurants at Christie & Co gave us a detailed rundown of current property trends within the hospitality industry. Simon provided insight into the operational headwind we are currently facing, and explained how operators are finding success by embracing new technologies such as intelligent scheduling systems. When questioned about exit multiples, Simon ensured to differentiate between selling assets site-by-site, as opposed to in bulk. The resulting message was that selling multiple sites will yield greater success, with potential buyers believing they are acquiring a bigger prize.
Delivery is on the Rise
Hays Macintyre and Propel’s collaborative survey provides a helpful industry benchmark. Gareth Ogden presented this year’s results and delved into the trends behind the numbers. Gareth discussed the increasing impact delivery services are having on the food and beverage sector. Using delivery services provides customers with a more varied offer, however this may negatively impact margins for operators. Delivery reduces opportunities to up-sell products within the venue and typically no alcohol is sold. This leads to lower margins and therefore must be considered when promoting delivery.
Follow Your Feelings
Roger Wade discusses Boxpark
Drawing proceedings to a close in a forthright manner was Roger Wade, founder of the ingenious shipping container food and beverage offering that is BoxPark. With a background in branding, it is no surprise to see Roger putting his stamp on BoxPark and creating a truly unique experience for customers. At the core of Roger’s talk lay an underlying theme – trust your feelings. Modern systems provide operators with unparalleled analytical insight, which considered in tandem to the instincts of an experienced professional is a likely formula for success.
With a new BoxPark site opening up in Wembley, this immersive hospitality experience of food, beverages, and events will be sure to attract a crowd.
At S4Labour we’re dedicated to helping the best get even better by helping them control costs, maximise efficiency, drive sales, and save time. This provides a framework for long-term success that allows operators to pursue their passions and make their visions a reality. Click here for more information on how S4Labour could help your business.
It was a privilege to spend the day in the company of so many inspiring hospitality professionals. The talent and diversity within our industry was evident to see. We will look forward to hearing from more of the best in 2018.
by Abby Henson | 12 Oct, 2017 | Blog, Sales Figures
S4Labour are continuing our sponsorship of Propel events with the final Multi-Club Conference of 2017. The conference will take place on Wednesday 1st November at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London.
We will have a stand in the refreshments and networking area and will be available throughout the day to discuss controlling costs, driving greater sales, improving HR processes, and just about anything else of interest.
The day will as ever see a host of informative and inspiring speakers from all sectors of hospitality taking the stage. Amongst them will be Darrel Connel of investment fund Imbiba, which backs several S4Labour clients, and Richard Boon, founder of burger concept Hubbox, who recently signed up to use our labour scheduling and HR software. The full schedule for the day can be viewed here.
Operators of multi-site companies can claim two free places at the conference, which will also provide ample opportunities for networking with some of the industry’s most skilled and visionary figures.
As demonstrated by the summer conference, Propel events are always a fantastic opportunity to hear from and interact with hospitality’s best people. We’re looking forward to seeing many S4Labour customers – old, new, and future – there.
by Abby Henson | 11 Oct, 2017 | Blog, Sales Figures
At S4Labour we work with over 100 of Britain’s best hospitality organisations, ranging from award-winning single site and small multi-site operators right up to some of the country’s best-loved national brands.
There are numerous reasons why they find us to be the perfect partner in ensuring their sustained success, but don’t just take our word for it, here are six reasons to work with S4Labour, backed up by testimonials from six of the very best operators around.
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1 – Control Labour Spend
With rent increases, business rent hikes, and a rise in commodity prices all too familiar to today’s hospitality industry, keeping costs down in other areas can be critical to profitability. Labour is often the biggest cost to operators, but one that can be typically reduced without diminishing sales by identifying overstaffing and promoting better deployment. S4Labour makes this easy, leading to savings of 10% on annual labour spend for many of our clients.
“Since the introduction of S4Labour we have had total control over our labour, allowing us to make educated decisions on staffing. It is the best addition to our set-up that we have made this year.” – Patrick Gray, Ops Director, Kua Aina
2 – Drive Record Sales
S4Labour is not just a tool for reducing overstaffing. By using its intuitive labour demand graph to identify and rectify overstaffing, its users can drive increased sales by ensuring attentive service and maximised upselling opportunities. Record sales, coupled with tight controls on labour, result in maximum profitability.
“Your labour system is doing wonders at City Pub Co – well done!” – John Roberts, Founder, City Pub Company.
3 – Improve HR Processes
People are at the heart of any hospitality operation. S4Labour’s extensive HR module allows users to quickly and easily manage the human side of their business, making everything from managing holiday accrual to staff contracts run more efficiently than ever before.
“We couldn’t have won without S4Labour” – Chris Carsons, CEO, Deviate Bars, Winner of Best Turnaround at the Great British Pub Awards 2017
4 – A Fully Integrated System
We understand the numerous systems that contribute to running a successful hospitality business. We partner with EPoS firms, training providers, payroll bureaus, property management systems, and others to ensure our clients have a seamless, integrated solution.
“We use Zonal for our EPoS system, and the fact that S4Labour run a seamless integration with Zonal for importing sales figures has always been a real benefit. Our accountant has found S4Labour’s payroll export to be a hassle-free way of ensuring staff are paid correctly and on time.” – Clive Price, Managing Director, Barons Pub Co.
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5 – Designed by Operators for Operators
S4Labour was created by people with a wealth of hospitality industry experience across all industry sectors, with our management team having held senior positions at leading brands including Mitchells & Butlers, Whitbread, and ASK Italian.
“It is clear that the program has been designed by actual restaurateurs for true life operations, as opposed to theoretical programs that serve very little purpose in the real world. This is a very refreshing change.” – James Kerry, Owner, The Winery
6 – Quality Ongoing Relationship
Our clients regularly tell us how much they value the quality of the ongoing relationship they have with S4Labour’s people. With first-rate trainers, account managers dedicated to helping your business succeed, and a seven day support desk service, an experienced professional is always on hand to help you get the best results.
“The training provided was extremely efficient and help and support has been ongoing. S4Labour is a key tool in our labour management and in increasing our productivity and efficiency.” Darren Rumbelow, Operations Manager, Albion & East, Part of Imbiba Partnership
by Abby Henson | 26 Sep, 2017 | Blog, Press & News
Following the appointment of three new senior employees, S4Labour are delighted to welcome to the company the four members of our graduate programme for 2017.
The quartet, who took up their positions at our Oxfordshire head office earlier this month, are Ross Atkinson, Ben Nestel, Jess Stacpoole, and George Tuvey. They were selected from a large pool of applicants after displaying in interview the talents deemed necessary to become valuable members of a dynamic, growing business.
The programme, now in its second year, will see the graduates rotating through four three-month placements in our account management, sales and marketing, development, and finance teams, concluding in a likely promotion to a permanent role in the department in which they have displayed most aptitude and most enjoyed working.
The Square & Compass, near Harrogate, where our graduates gained key experience
George, fresh from completing an Economics degree at Lancaster University, previously spent a week on work experience with S4Labour. He was swiftly convinced that a longer term position was right for him, saying, “During my previous placement I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the office and was very impressed by the direction the company is taking.”
We firmly believe that being able to successfully help our clients solve their labour challenges is rooted in a thorough and detailed understanding of hospitality operations gained only through first-hand experience. This ethos has been quickly grasped by the graduates, who spent last week working at one of our Malvern Inns pubs, furthering their exposure to front of house, kitchen, and managerial roles within the industry. The experience was a valuable one, according Jess, a Biology graduate from York University, who called it “a fascinating insight into the reality of labour management in the industry.”
S4Labour CEO Alastair Scott is thrilled by the appointments, saying, “We see our future very much as a graduate-led business, with senior roles filled by those who have shown the attitude and attributes needed to quickly gain internal promotion. This will give them the expert knowledge of our operations necessary to provide the exceptional level of service our customers have come to expect.”
Our graduate recruitment for 2018 will begin later this year and will be advertised both externally and through our Careers page. For general enquiries about the programme or working with S4Labour, email info@cattonhospitality.
