Ever wondered who’s behind the brands that you sell? Here’s the third of nine of Scotland’s drinks bosses, Heineken UK’s On-Trade Director Stephen Watt, with his plans for 2020, including a steer on what he thinks you should be doing with your business.
Stephen Watt
On-Trade Director
Heineken
You’ve been On-Trade Director since July 2019 – what do you most enjoy about it?
I enjoy being out in pubs, clubs and bars – meeting passionate people in our industry and hearing about their plans. Spending time with our fantastic sales people and understanding their challenges and opportunities – how we can support our customers better and ultimately help drive our mutual business forward
Why the drinks industry and what do you love about it?
The hospitality sector is vibrant, fast moving and ever-changing – I love the pace at which things move and how you need to keep pushing to
keep on top of it all! I’ve worked across Wine, Spirits, Beer and Cider and the one thing that binds them all together is that there are so many passionate brand owners who are continually challenging each other to improve their offer and leave no room for complacency. It must be one of the most competitive industries in the world – however there is a certain camaraderie that links both producer and seller meaning it also feels very inclusive and through groups like Portman, WSTA and BBPA means that we face certain challenges together. I’ve worked in Drinks most of my career and it’s my favourite sector by far!
How do you plan to drive the business forward in 2020?
We’ll be working with operators to offer premium trade-up options while reinforcing the importance of core brands. We want to further demonstrate how smart
technology can benefit operators and the environment – like reducing beer, cider and cleaning fluid waste by 87.5%. No & low products also represent a massive opportunity.
What is the best stress-buster when things get particularly challenging?
My safety valve is running – I try to run 3 or 4 times a week and that gives me some space to think about issues and challenges and importantly get away from the laptop and the phone! Our industry is incredibly fast paced but we all need to build in proper thinking time and work to live : and not fall into the trap of living to work. My other escape is travelling – I love to visit different countries and experience cultures and scenery vastly different to ours. In 2018 I visited Easter Island which is described as the most remote inhabited place on Earth and it was a phenomenally memorable few days. Most of all I enjoy experiencing the local food and drink, and look forward to trying something new everywhere I go
Which piece of advice would you pass on to licensees that are looking to grow their business?
It may sound common sense but focusing on the end customer is undoubtedly where to start. Too many businesses try and run to what they perceive are their strengths without fully understanding if the market is there first! Looking at market trends and understanding how best to capitalise – for example LoNo is an emerging trend but filling fridges full of every variety of zero alcohol beer is perhaps a step too far!
Looking at other categories is important too – if your gin range is starting to become more premium then perhaps its time to look at Beer & Wine. Consumer tastes change fast, so its important to build in a feedback loop where you can check what goods and services are required and which have less appeal. Ultimately we want the pub to be an integral part of its community, and what that means will clearly change over time. Pubs these days play a massively different role than
30 years ago and things will continue to evolve.
If you had a pub what would you call it and why?
I’m a bit of a Star Wars fan so I’d love to have a themed bar like the Cantina! My family and I got carried away one night and even got down to some names – so for the outlet it would be called the Admiral Snackbar, and the menu would include Pizza The Hutt, a sandwich called the Ham Solo, and definitely some Whisky Yoda’s and Qui Gon Gin…..
