Marston's PLC

We’re delighted to share that Marston’s has been recognised as the UK pub industry’s #1 employer in the Financial Times’ inaugural UK’s Best Employers list, as well as making it into the Top 100 overall! This prestigious ranking, compiled by the FT in partnership with Statista, is based on independent employee feedback, exploring key areas such as workplace culture, opportunities for career development, salary, employee benefits and company image.  Liam Powell, People Director of Marston’s PLC, said: “To be named as one of the UK’s Top 100 employers – and number one in our sector – is an outstanding achievement which reflects the incredible passion and commitment of our hardworking teams across the UK.”  “Our people are the heart of our business; a truly collaborative and united team who work tirelessly to engage our local communities and enhance the positive impact we have on them and each other. In turn, we are committed to making Marston’s a great place to work for our employees and pub partners, where everyone feels valued, supported and inspired to achieve their ambitions.” See the full list here: https://lnkd.in/e9_ykQPT #WherePeopleMakePubs #BestEmployers2025 #EverydayExcellence #WinTogether

It's not every day that one of our great local pubs gets a special mention in the House of Commons, but last week this honour was bestowed upon the brilliant team at The Royal Oak in Chapel Ash.   Celebrating licensees Terry Cole and Keith Fulwood on their recent PubAid award wins and incredible local fundraising efforts, Warinder Juss MP, MP for Wolverhampton, called on the Leader of the House, The Rt Hon Lucy Powell, to publicly congratulate The Royal Oak on their outstanding achievement and "acknowledge the wonderful contribution our local pubs make to our communities."   Concluding his remarks with an invitation for the Leader of the House "to have a drink at The Royal Oak next time she finds herself in Wolverhampton", Lucy Powell MP responded by accepting the offer of a visit and praising The Royal Oak for going "way beyond its role as a pub", describing it as "a community hub that does so much to support its local community."   Cheers to that and, needless to say, everyone (no matter which side of the House they sit on) is always welcome at a Marston's pub!   #passionatelylocal #momentsthatmatter #marstonspubs #longlivethelocal #greatbritishpub

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD! We’re excited to share that Marston’s was the bigger winner at this year’s Menu Innovation and Development Awards (MIDAS Foodservice Network), with kevin Woodyet and Tom Revitt picking up the Group’s awards for Best Kids Menu and Best Carvery / Sunday concept. Last year Marston’s pubs sold more than two million carvery meals to its guests, making it the Group’s highest selling menu item of the year. Meanwhile, Marston’s Kids Menus have long been a firm favourite for families up and down the country, supported by special offers and eye-catching partnerships including its “Kids eat for £1” deal last month and Marston’s limited-edition Paddington inspired kid’s menu (available until 30th March). Commenting on the double win, Kevin Woodyet, Head of Food Category Management at Marston’s, said: “We are extremely proud of our pub menus, which are fuelled by our industry leading guest insight, the best product and emerging consumer trends to ensure we’re serving our guests the food they love every time they visit a Marston’s pub. To win not one but two prestigious awards for our Carvery and Kids menus is testament to the effort our teams put into menu development and the variety of occasions our pubs support in their local communities, from low tempo Sunday roasts to fun filled family meals out.” Click here for the full story: https://lnkd.in/em-cMDQC #wintogether #bestproduct #everydayexcellence

At Marston’s, we believe in creating an inclusive culture where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Ahead of International Women’s Day 2025, we are proud to celebrate the progress we have made through our Women’s Network and Inclusion Taskforce in driving positive change throughout our business.    Over the past year, we have: 🟣 Hosted our second annual Women to Watch Awards, recognising the remarkable contributions of women within our business.  🟣 Launched the next tranche of our innovative Women in Leadership Programme, designed to empower and support the career advancement for women at Marston’s, by providing tailored leadership development opportunities, fostering growth and preparing them for senior positions. 🟣 Implemented dedicated DE&I training modules and improved people policies to ensure that women feel supported in every aspect of their careers at Marston’s, while creating a culture where women can thrive both personally and professionally. 🟣 Signed the #ItStopsWithMe pledge by AB InBev committing to act against harassment and discrimination in our industry. 🟣 Raised over £1,500 for a local charity, The Haven Wolverhampton, who support women and children who are vulnerable to domestic abuse and homelessness. 🟣 Achieved a WiHTL & Diversity in Retail Equity, Diversity and Inclusion maturity score of 70 against an industry average of 66.   We pride ourselves on being a company where all our people can #WinTogether, and we fully support the International Women’s Day call to #AccelerateAction. There is always more work to do, but we are committed to pushing for faster progress in achieving gender equality, while ensuring that women across our industry have the support and opportunities they need to succeed.   #WinTogether #IWD2025 #WomenAtMarstons #DiversityAndInclusion #AccelerateAction

We couldn’t be prouder of our team at The Royal Oak pub in Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton, who were the big winners at the prestigious PubAid Community Pub Hero Awards 2025 on Tuesday night.   Marston’s licensee Terry Cole and his father-in-law Keith Fulwood, whose family have run The Royal Oak pub for the past 19 years, were presented with the Fundraising Community Pub award for England in recognition of their team’s incredible fundraising activities in the local Wolverhampton community. But they didn’t stop there…out of nearly 700 entries nationwide, The Royal Oak was also named the overall national winner of the night, scooping the most coveted award for Outstanding Contribution to the pub industry.   The Marston’s pub was awarded this honour due to its tireless support of the Midland Freewheelers Blood Bikes, a voluntary service that supports the NHS by delivering blood, samples and medication 24 hours a day. The pub bought an £18,000 motorbike for the charity and helps to raise money to maintain its full fleet of 10 bikes and three cars. Thanks to their support, the charity has been able to complete over 6,000 jobs free of charge for the NHS and patients.   Justin Platt, CEO of Marston’s, said: “The Royal Oak is famous within Marston’s and throughout Wolverhampton as not only being a great local pub, but as a team who are passionately local and really care, always looking for new ways to support and engage the local community and enhance their positive impact on it. Congratulations to Emma, Terry, Susan, Keith and all their team for this incredible achievement. To have their monumental efforts recognised at a national level is truly fantastic and very well deserved.”   Click here for the full story: https://lnkd.in/ea_ciFhF   #passionatelylocal #wintogether #momentsthatmatter #everydayexcellence #wherepeopemakepubs #theroyaloak  

Our very own Jared Sedgwick, Marston's Director of Operations for the Midlands, along with industry representatives and other local community and charitable organisations, had the great honour of greeting His Majesty The King during his recent visit to Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, as part of a royal celebration of the pub and brewing heritage of the town. Burton upon Trent is a place steeped in Marston's history, dating back to 1834 when John Marston began brewing at the Horninglow Brewery. Though Marston's has evolved over the past 190 years and today is a pure play hospitality business with more than 1,300 pubs across the UK, we will always be proud of where we came from and of the 12 brilliant Marston's pubs which continue to serve the local Burton community every day. #heritage #momentsthatmatter #passionatelylocal #burtonupontrent The National Brewery Heritage Trust

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with STUDIOCANAL UK to celebrate the home release of Paddington in Peru, out now to buy & keep. We’ve launched our very own limited-edition Paddington inspired kid’s menu, filled with delicious treats that will delight even the fussiest of bears. Available at any of our 250+ participating pubs! Find out more on our website and experience all the excitement our furry friend brings! https://lnkd.in/d-hE8gZw #PaddingtonInPeru

As we come towards the end of National Apprenticeship Week 2025, we want to say thank you to all our apprenticeship advocates. The passion, energy and commitment that’s displayed not only during #NAW but throughout the rest of the year is phenomenal. "Apprenticeships are so important to us here at Marston’s. Breaking down the barriers to create viable career opportunities in hospitality can be challenging at times but with dedicated providers, learners, parents and teachers - it is achievable. And, with the support of the new government reforms, in relation to function skills and reduction in time frames, we are excited to see more individuals join us on their learning journey! I’m proud to lead such a dedicated team and I’m continually inspired by each and every one of our learners. We wish you luck with your continued learning and look forward to seeing you at graduation!" Nikita Sheldon-Tunstall – Head of ED&I, Apprenticeships and Digital Learning. Thank you to our learners, support centre and pub teams, and our learning providers. We’re proud of the continued efforts in raising awareness around the impact apprenticeships can have on individuals, as well as the vital role they play in businesses to help build and support great teams and future company success. #NAW25 #SkillsForLife #WherePeopleMakePubs

In line with our new strategy and guest-focused events programme, we’re kicking off 2025 in style with an exclusive partnership with Darts’ World No. 1 Luke Humphries…introducing our Cool Hand Cup, launching today. Guests are invited to step up to the oche at any of our 700+ participating pubs in a timed challenge, to go Around the Clock from one to 20 and finishing on the bullseye. The best two players from each region will be invited to the Grand Final on Friday 28th March, where one player will be crowned the overall winner, taking home the £5,000 grand prize and earning the privilege of playing against the World No.1! Click the link below to find your nearest participating Marston’s local and join in with the fun! T&Cs apply.   https://lnkd.in/eE8k-daP   #coolhandcup #momentsthatmatter #darts #wherepeoplemakepubs #loveyourlocal

We’re pleased to report a solid start to our new financial year, with growth in both food and drink sales during the first quarter across our managed and partnership pubs, demonstrating the continued appeal of our community-based estate and leading product offering. Like-for-like sales during our busiest festive trading weeks were very strong - up 11% - thanks to the dedication, focus and passion of our hardworking teams who delivered amazing experiences for our guests, achieving record sales on Christmas Day. As we build on this performance through the successful execution of our refocused strategy, differentiated pub formats and industry leading events plan, we’re excited for the year ahead. To read our Q1 Trading Update, click here: https://lnkd.in/e6f-sNTT #SharedGoodTimes #MarstonsPubs #WherePeopleMakePubs