Diageo’s Andrew Lawrence says the licensed trade needs a strong SLTA to help drive standards and give the industry a louder voice when it comes to debating the issues of the day
HEALTHY debate across all layers of the licensed trade has never been more important, according to Andrew Lawrence, national account controller – leased, regional wholesale and brewers at Diageo.
“If you stand still you get left behind,” he says. “Industry leaders such as Diageo are constantly talking about innovation and new ideas, and creating platforms to enable growth and progress.
“When it comes to the trade association representing the industry in Scotland – the SLTA – it’s no different. It has to deal with the all the issues of the day but it also has to look to the future.”
For Lawrence, the SLTA has evolved to become a high-profile and, crucially, relevant trade association that understands its members and the plethora of challenges facing them on a daily basis.
“I’ve been impressed by the way in which the organisation has found a louder voice when it comes tackling the key issues affecting operators,” he says. “When there’s an important debate the SLTA is always there at the very heart of that debate – that’s exactly what its members need.
“There’s been a real step change since the SLTA embarked on its new strategy and we’ve really benefited from having more engagement with the organisation and working more closely together.”
According to Lawrence, it’s important for suppliers to give something back to the industry and supporting the SLTA is just one way of doing that, he suggests. “When we support the SLTA, we support our customers,” he says
“There will always be new legislation coming our way and whether we like it or not it is important to have a healthy debate about it. The SLTA is our voice – helping us to adapt to change and also raise standards.
“We all need to work together to get more people into Scotland’s pubs and bars and give them a good experience.”
He continues: “It’s even more important when you look at how the trade is changing with a lot of entrepreneurial operators making their mark and all the great working going on behind the scenes to encourage young people to consider a career in the hospitality industry – there have been big steps in that respect.”
Lawrence points to Learning for Life, Diageo’s global flagship skills training and employability programme run in partnership with The Springboard Charity. Scotland was the first country in Europe to the deliver the programme in 2014.
“People enter the licensed trade in many different ways and for many different reasons,” he points out. “For some it all clicks into place and it’s what they want to do but what Learning for Life does is show people that the industry can be a great career and one with real prospects.”
A BA Honours graduation in Tourism and Hospitality Management from Robert Gordon University, Lawrence joined Diageo in 2005 and has held numerous roles with the global drinks giant. He was appointed to his present position in July 2016.
Heading up a team of 11, his role takes him across the UK although he has a specific focus on Scotland.
Guinness is a key focus this year with everything from glass hygiene, product quality and pouring standards in the spotlight as Diageo works with customers to ensure the highest levels of brand integrity at all times.
Says Lawrence: “Guinness is a beacon of quality and very much a primary focus for us in the on-trade because when someone goes into an outlet and asks for a pint of Guinness it has to be perfect and we invest heavily in making sure our customers are getting it right every time.”
The Guinness quality accreditation programme, he points out, covers training on pouring the perfect pint of the Black Stuff and POS, including an accreditation plaque, reassures drinkers that an outlet adheres to the highest quality standards.
Marketing activity for Guinness covers key events such as St Patrick’s Day and the Six Nations.
But it’s not all about Guinness. Spirits benefit from category support ranging from bespoke G&T training to cocktail master classes and targeting marketing promotions using digital toolkits.
“We have brands that people love and trust so we have to look after them,” says Lawrence. “That means we need to support them and the great thing about living in this digital age is that we can be more agile with our marketing support and target it very superficially.
“The hospitality industry has a large ‘millennials’ workforce so there are people who are heavy users of social media – we can tap into that and be much more reactive.”
While Lawrence is championing Diageo’s brands and engaging with customers to ensure best practice across the on-trade, he still finds time to support The BEN, the high-profile charity that helps former and current employees of the Scottish licensed trade facing hardship.
Indeed, he was installed as president of The BEN earlier this year, with Stephen McGowan of TLT Solicitors elected vice-president and the SLTA’s chief executive Paul Waterson appointed patron.
“It’s a big honour and big responsibility,” says Lawrence. “The BEN is such a worthwhile cause supporting our industry. I’ve been involved for over three years now and found it very rewarding – as I said earlier, it’s important to give something back.”