Posted: 17th May 2021
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S MESSAGE 17 MAY 2021
Dear Friends of Shepherd Neame,
Today marks another hugely positive milestone for our country, our pubs and our industry. Thanks to the magnificent success of the vaccination programme, we can now open our doors for the first time since November 5 and allow the return of indoor hospitality.
At this stage, customers must remain seated and we are only allowed to offer table service. Thus some of the activities normally allowed in pubs remain restricted. Whilst we must all remain vigilant and exercise caution, we remain hopeful that this will be followed by the full lifting of restrictions on June 21. What a moment that will be!
More than 200 of our pub gardens have been open for the past month, and we have been delighted by the incredible support and feedback shown to our teams in that time. Well done to all those hardy folk who have braved wind, rain and at times freezing temperatures to enjoy the great outdoors! See some great pictures of our pub pioneers attached below.
It has been wonderful to hear laughter and see smiles return during the past weeks! The human desire for face to face interaction with friends and family remains undimmed by the tragic events of the last year.
As ever, I would like to thank our licensees and team members who have worked so hard, and have overcome so many challenges, to re-mobilise the business. We all want nothing more than to give you a warm welcome and happy experience when you return to our reopened pubs and hotels.
We are edging closer to the start of a Great British summer, and, we hope, eventually to ‘VC Day’ - Victory over COVID! Personally I cannot wait.
With my thanks for your support and very best wishes,
Jonathan Neame
Shepherd Neame Chief Executive
