Standing out from the flock (Jonathan Neame)

In the first of a new series we talk to a key beer industry person. This issue Dominic Roskrow talks to Jonathan Neame, chief executive of Shepherd Neame

How is business for Shepherd Neame at the moment?

We feel we are in a very strong position. We do not share the gloom and doom that you find elsewhere. We feel our position is actually getting stronger and stronger. The market is moving towards more special beers and we have an interesting portfolio.

Is this about the customer choosing quality over quantity and seeking premium products?

People want to know how and when things were made, to know the process.

It’s the notion of provenance. Here we’ve tried to upgrade the visitor centre to take advantage of this. It’s not just that though, there are other trends at work.

People are understandably concerned about alcohol. Premium does not refer to alcoholic strength it refers to flavour.

People are more interested in the whole experience of a drink and where it was created.

So are we seeing a reaction away from High Street retailing concepts and a move back to heritage?

I think people will look back at the pub trade in the 90s and early 2000s and see the whole High Street concept as a sideshow in the history of English pubs.

We’re interested in the long term trend and not the short term one. A whole series of events combined at the time to help the High Street flourish. Brewery owners focused on the acquisition of property rather than refurbishment of existing property or the quality of the offering. That’s changing.

Why is this the case?

Society is changing. By 2020 there will be an extra 5.2 million people over 40 ye.....

To read the rest of this article you can buy this issue or subscribe to Beers of the World to have every issue delivered direct to your door.

By Dominic Roskrow

Section : Last Shout

Page number : 74