The City Pub Company’s special blend pleases as it opens its newest venue, The Bath Brew House

RUNCORN, U.K. - Dec. 17, 2013 - PRLog -- Alex Derrick, chief executive of The City Pub Company (West) Plc, looks after six of the 13 establishments. “We have a number of beautiful, individual pubs and our model is to tailor each to its location.  We buy freehold pubs without brewery ties and turn them into the best pub in the area.  We put a lot of time and effort into thinking what would work for each, and people respond really well to this.  It generates ongoing loyalty.”

In the case of The Bath Brew House, the company purchased the freehold on a tired old pub. “We spent a lot on it but we spent wisely,” says Derrick.  Opening on 1 October 2013, the public response has been overwhelming.  The Bath Brew House boasts its own micro-brewery,the James Street Brewery, a bar and dining area with open kitchen, rotisserie and smokehouse, as well as a function room and large garden and patio area for al fresco dining.

When The City Pub Company’s owners formerly ran The Capital Pub Company, they engaged with solutions provider Gardiff to install and support their EPoS hardware and software.  “It was a natural evolution to take Gardiff into our new incarnation.  It takes a lot of energy getting the doors open and we’re focused on sales and on our growth plans, but now’s the time to make sure we have essential systems are in place.”

The City Pub Company has now rolled out PC-based touchscreen EPoS terminals, a mixture of J2 615s and the new J2 625, to all its locations.

“The pubs we’ve acquired either had nothing or old hardware, so we’ve installed brand new J2s across the business.  Our estate amounts to 50 terminals, spread across our bars, function rooms and restaurants.  We find the J2s very reliable.”

Alex Derrick and his team are very comfortable with the Gardiff EPoS solution.   “We’re working on fine tuning, which will make it easier to roll out a consolidated system across the group.”   Automated reporting is particularly popular. “On a Monday, I get standard weekly reports plus each pub manager can pull off daily reports, to generate all the stats he needs to run his business. Gardiff makes it easy to obtain the information we need to make decisions.  It’s perfect for us.”

He goes on to explain that many of his staff have worked in different pubs and restaurants and used a number of EPoS systems.  “They all seem to like Gardiff, having used other solutions.”

In terms of new developments, The City Pub Company is currently trialling Gardiff’s full integrated stock management package in a number of pubs.  “Now everything is automated, whereas before we handled stock management manually and entered sales figures into spreadsheets.”

New hardware devices are also now being used, notably tablets for POS, in venues such as The Bath Brew House and The Phene in Chelsea which both have large gardens.  “We can offer table service as a point of difference.  Not many beer gardens can do that.  A member of staff with a small float can be a wandering till.  POS on the tablets is consolidated with our fixed-point terminals, so it’s part of the overall EPoS solution. It’s very neat,” concludes Derrick.

THE CITY PUB COMPANY

www.citypubcompany.co.uk

The City Pub Company (East) Plc is a high-quality pub business founded in December 2011 by established industry entrepreneurs, formerly owners of The Capital Pub Company.  The City Company (West) Plc has since been formed and together the businesses own and manage a portfolio of 13 pubs of characterful pubs in affluent provincial towns and cities such as Oxford, Cambridge, and Stratford-upon-Avon. Several venues in London include the iconic The Phene pub in Chelsea.   The business is on track to have 20 locations by the end of 2014.

The City Pub Company’s business model is to target excellent locations and acquire un-themed, un-branded pubs. This formula, which champions a more individual approach, is delivering impressive results. Overall, the business has three micro brew houses and both traditional pubs and locations which appeal to younger demographics.

THE AURES GROUP AND AURES TECHNOLOGIES UK LIMITED

www.aures.com

www.j2retailsystems.com

Founded in 1989 and listed on Euronext since 1999, the AURESGroupmanufactures EPOS systems and related peripherals.

Its PC-based hardware and open-system equipment provides management and till functions to all points-of-sale and points-of-service, including specialist food and non-food stores, retail outlets, superstores and catering and hospitality.

In 2013, J2 Retail Systems, specialist and renowned manufacturer of PC-based touchscreens, LCD monitors and point-of-sale hardware, became part of the AURES Group.  In the UK, the two businesses now trade as AURES Technologies UK Limited.

The consolidated AURES Group has global presence, with its head office in France, subsidiaries in Great Britain, Germany, Australia and the USA, and distributors and resellers in 50+ countries.

With over 50,000 EPOS systems deployed annually, the AURES Group's consolidated turnover will exceed €50M at the end of 2013.

GARDIFF GROUP

www.gardiff.com

Established in 1988 supplying Cash Registers, the Gardiff Group has evolved and grown over the years to become a complete solution provider of EPoS & Management Solutions. A key contributor to its longevity is the first-class customer service it provides.  It prides itself on always being available whenever clients need it and by responding quickly to queries.

Over 80% of sales come from existing customers.  With a wealth of industry experience and  innovative technology at its disposal, Gardiff’s aim is to provide customers with systems and solutions that give hassle free-operation and deliver the scope of information required in today's demanding business environments.