by Stephen Montgomery
It has certainly been a busy 3 years for the Scottish Hospitality Group. From what started off at the start of the pandemic, as a small group of high profile, family owned, entrepreneurial Scottish Businesses, who got together in a WhatsApp group, to now being probably Scotland’s biggest licensed trade body, it is an an amazing journey in such a short time, and one we are all very proud of.
We never shirked our responsibility to the sector we work in, no matter what the issue
Some have asked why it has taken us so long to become properly established given the amount of work we have done, and the publicity we have had. The main reason is simply because we were far more concerned and focused on the continual issues facing the sector over that time, from the pandemic, covid passports, recruitment, Deposit Return Scheme, to Alcohol Advertising etc, and we knew that these had to be our first priority, not just for us here at SHG, but also for the many small and large businesses who contacted us asking for our support and advice.
We never shirked our responsibility to the sector we work in, no matter what the issue, but we always knew that there would be a place for SHG in time going forward, and we are just pleased that now is that time for us to progress.
We have a board of experienced operators, who have been in the business for a long time. That wealth of experience proves beneficial when we meet with Cabinet Ministers, MPs, MSPs, and officials and our ability to produce data quickly is key to all that we do.
With our “Can Do” positive attitude, we know that we are the forward thinking voice of hospitality
With our “can do” positive attitude, we know that we are the forward thinking voice of hospitality. Over the last 3 years we have been a strong voice for the sector, positioning ourselves as a group where governments in both Holyrood and Westminster and Ministers of all parties, come to us not just for our views, but also to give evidence at committees, or to sit on groups, such as DRS, MUP, and the New Deal for Business groups, including Non-Domestic Rates to name but a few.
We know that many of the issues we have mentioned are still sitting in the background waiting to return under a differing guise, and we will without doubt face many more.
We also know that we have a good professional working relationship with government, and all parties, and by having those relationships, we know that by working together, we can and will make change, for the better.
Some of the biggest challenges still lie ahead for the sector
Some of the biggest challenges still lie ahead for the sector, with the continuing high interest rates, high inflation, VAT, Visitors Levy and Non-Domestic Rates. Here in Scotland, the issue around NDR is a devolved power, and its reform is of big importance to our sector. We are now doing deep work around this, and have, and will continue to have engagements with Ministers to put our thoughts and ideas to them, especially ahead of the Scottish budget.
In other news, what a night we all had at this year’s Scottish Bar & Pub Awards. So many well deserved winners, and it was fantastic to see Billy Lowe get the recognition he so deserves by taking home the Lifetime Achievement Award.
This year also saw Caroline Loudon take our Scottish Hospitality Group Special Recognition Award for 2023, another well deserved recipient, for all the work she does for everyone in the sector. Brian Flynn taking home Licensee of the year, was also fantastic to see.
We were all saddened to hear of the passing of Susan Youngs Stepdad Walt, and our deepest sympathies and thoughts go out to Susans family circle at this very sad time.
Now that the foundations have been led for SHG, we must say a special thank you to Caroline Loudon and her team at TLT LLP who did so much of the work in getting us formalised. We have lots to do, but having a positive outlook must be the way forward. If you would like to know more about our membership, or you or your company would like to get involved with SHG in other ways, please do not hesitate to contact us by email, on stephen@scottishhospitalitygroup.com.
