As it celebrates a milestone 180 years of brewing at Kingsdown Brewery, Arkell’s is keen to keep its finger on the pulse of innovation in the industry whilst honouring its local trading history.
Managing director George Arkell tells MCA that the Swindon-born business’s approach is in part born from the town in which it was built.
“I think Swindon is hugely underestimated, it’s a forward-looking town. They turned up here in the 1800’s and built steam engines when no-one else was doing it”, says Arkell.
This mentality has “rubbed off” on the company, and it is “quite willing to give new things a go”.
Founded by John Arkell in 1843, Arkell’s Brewery now operates 95 pubs across Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Berkshire and beyond.
Six generations later, head brewer Alex Arkell says that its modest aspirations have also stood the business in good stead.
“We’ve never been too ambitious in wanting to become a big national brand. We’ve always been very proud of our local trading”.
“That’s been a real strength. Now more than ever because people are more interested in provenance and locality”, he tells MCA.
The next generation
Although keen to honour its local trading history, George Arkell says “we’re not wedded to the past.”
“You’ve got to modernise and change and grow.”
As the tradition of old school drinking pubs dropped away, he sees the emergence of a “hybrid business”, where morning coffees and brunches play as much of a part as traditional Saturday evening trade.
“You’ve got to change, you can’t stay still”, says the managing director.
Every generation of the business has had a different outlook and embraced a change in the times, adds Alex Arkell.
“Every generation has seen the opportunities.“Our father was a big expansionist. I think he saw the opportunity in growing the pub estate which has put us in good strength.”
The biggest change in recent years has been a move towards food and occasion-led visits.
“25 years ago, we had a third of our pubs selling food. Now we don’t even have a third that don’t offer food. That’s been a huge change”.
A shift towards “special occasion drinking”, means the pubs are having to work a little harder, Alex Arkell says.
“You have to be a bit more inventive as operators and be willing to think about what your customers want.
“Now the pub has got to pull them in, it’s got to be quality and really look good.”
Re-invention
Today, the business is keen to nurture some of its more innovative formats, including several specialist cocktail bars, such as newly opened speakeasy, Old Town Laundry Bar in Swindon.
“We don’t stand on the top of the hill and wave our flag really loudly, but we’ve got some really innovative operators”, says Arkell.
“We’ve got 95 pubs and they are all so different, we want that”.
Alex Arkell agrees that variety is vital to the business.
“I think that’s the strength because it’s about the individuals. They’re the people who are driving the character and the success of it.
This innovation runs into the brewing side of the business, which is proud to foster some “really cutting-edge ideas.”
“To be brewing a hazy, gluten free, vegan beer in an old brewery like this is incredible. People just don’t expect it from a company like Arkell’s.”
After the pandemic acted as a “bulldozer” for pub trade, Arkell’s has learnt the importance of diversification.
The business now offers online deliveries, with free delivery to people within a 30-mile radius of the brewery. It also runs brewery tours and a bottle shop on site at Kingsdown.
A consolidation of the portfolio has also seen the business find different ways to drive revenue, including the addition of new letting rooms, now totalling 500 across all Arkells’ pubs.
“We’re still here, and still going strong.”
As the sector experiences acute staffing issues, Arkell’s has been proud of its staff retention, amongst them families that have worked at the brewery for three generations.
“We do try and look after everyone, from the cleaner, to the manager, to the guy in the brewhouse”, he says, adding that the support it gave its tenants through Covid has strengthened this relationship.
Looking forward, Arkell’s aims to continue steady expansion, with plans to add another pub to its estate next year.
It will also target inward investment in maintaining high-quality pub units, with circa £3m pushed into the estate in 2023 alone.
Other key pillars of the business’s strategy are formed around reducing its environmental impact, with plans to invest further in electric vehicles and increase its solar panel usage at Arkell’s brewery.
