Licensed Retail Management

Subject description

The licensed house sector is a rapid-growth industry said to be worth more than £22 billion a year. Speciality bars, clubs, restaurants, pubs, hotels, exhibition centres, off-licences and casinos all play a part in this sector and for many people the favourite leisure time activity is drinking and eating out. As a result breweries, pub chains and restaurateurs are constantly developing new ways of presenting, packaging and selling themselves and their products to meet public demand.

Due to this huge demand, there is now a shortfall in professionally qualified staff to manage the packed premises and the demands of their customers. Courses for potential managers are offered at several levels, Foundation degree, HND and degree, and students may have opportunities to obtain other related professional qualifications such as the National Licensees Certificate or the Wines & Spirits Education Trust Certificate.

Example areas of study

These courses differ in their specialisations and in the modules offered, but topics for BA degrees in Licensed Retail Trade Management are likely to include the following. Please remember to check that the focus of the course matches your interests before you submit your application.

• Financial management
• Human resource management; managing people
• Marketing
• Business planning and operations strategies
• Hospitality systems and services
• Facilities design and management
• Licensed retail industry and certification
• Club management
• Entertainment management
• Food and beverage management
• Food hygiene management
• Wines and spirits
• Alcoholic beverage production
• Legal, moral and ethical issues in the service sector
• Professional development
• Accommodation operations
• Themed project management
• International hospitality
• Wines and spirits studies
• Events planning and management
• Licensed facilities management
• Quality management

Some career possibilities

Management posts in small/medium sized pubs, restaurants, clubs, bars, licensed food and drink venues, in large national and international hotel chains and now in casinos; owner/manager positions. There will always be opportunities across the world in this area.

What do I need to get on a course?

The entry requirement for courses in this area do vary, due to the differentiation in course levels. The lower grades and qualifications listed below are for entry onto HND's and foundation degrees and the higher for degree level courses.

• UCAS Tariff: 60-200 points
• A-level: D-BB
• SQA Highers: DDCC
• SQA Advanced Highers: D-BB
• International Baccalaureate: 28 points
• BTEC National Diploma: relevant subject

For your application or interview, evidence of the following could be useful:

• Work experience in hotels, bars and/or restaurants
• Visits to vineyard and breweries

Further information is available from The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, British Beer and Pub Association,The British Institute of Innkeeping (Bii), The British Retail Consortium, Restaurant Doctor UK and Scottish Retail Consortium.

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