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We continually aim to provide customers with a high quality experience, where food and drink can be consumed in a safe and friendly environment. We're convinced that selling quality products in well maintained pubs with industry leading standards of customer service creates a positive experience for our customers and contributes to the overall quality of life within the local communities.
A responsible attitude towards alcohol
Aware that public attitudes towards the consumption of alcohol are changing, we avoid any kind of promotional or marketing activity designed to encourage consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol. Our promotional material carries a clear and concise message encouraging responsible consumption. Marston's Pedigree is the first beer brand to include a responsible drinking message in its television advertising and a programme is underway with the packaging of our brewed products involving the use of both a responsible drinking message and the recording of the alcohol unit value of the product. These changes are being introduced as packaging is reviewed. We continue to monitor and amend our programme where we believe that it will further contribute to consumers' ability to make an informed choice.
The training programmes for our retail staff are designed to assist them to determine when it would be inappropriate to serve a customer and how to ensure that difficult situations are handled in a calm, safe and considered manner. Within Marston's Pub Company we run a customised drinks and drugs awareness programme through Telford College which our lessees and tenants are encouraged to attend. This, combined with a strong emphasis on responsible marketing campaigns and providing alcohol unit information to customers and consumers has led to Marston's Pub Company being chosen as Most Responsible On Trade Retailer (Pub Company) at The Responsible Drinks Retailing Awards 2004 run by the Morning Advertiser.
Marston's is also a member of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), and has provided the Chair for the midlands section since 2000. In this capacity we have been instrumental in developing the BBPA's code on the responsible retailing of alcohol.
Associate membership of The Portman Group
We adhere to the guidelines of The Portman Group, an independent industry body set up to monitor and advise on the responsible marketing and selling of alcoholic products. Working with the Group we've become increasingly involved in supporting health and lifestyle education programmes among young people. Marston's Inns and Taverns and Marston's Pub Company divisions are associate members of this organisation and are committed to complying with the provisions of the code.
Full details of the Code of Practice can be found on the portman group website .
Support for alcohol awareness and education programmes
By focusing on educating young people, Marston's believes that it can help them to establish a responsible attitude to alcohol and to socialise in a safe and considerate manner. Examples of our commitment include:
- Working with a local further education college, providing funding for the student health team to extend their hours to focus on advice about socialising safely.
- Providing funding for Staffordshire County Youth Service enabling them to give their teenage peer health advisors alcohol awareness training.
- Providing financial support for a local campaign by the National Union of Students to provide promotional materials in support of their safe clubbing initiative aimed at new university students.
We are keen to explore opportunities to support wider responsible drinking initiatives and we will be sponsoring the responsible drinking campaign recently launched by West Midlands police.
We also work with other police forces and provide representatives for all the Regional Crime and Disorder Partnerships which run within our trading areas.
We are the only drinks industry member of Wolverhampton's multiagency Alcohol Taskforce set up to develop the policy for local implementation of the Government's National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy.
