St Austell pub group launches six-figure campaign to attract new staff to hospitality in the south west

The Cornish brewery St Austell has become the latest hospitality company to launch a large-scale recruitment drive.

St Austell’s six-figure campaign is called Your Adventure Starts Here and will be visually led, playing on the region’s scenery and romantic lifestyle. 

The brewery said its aim is to “attract new talent and tempt potential employees to work in the south west”, with roles such as housekeepers to senior chefs waiting to be filled.

“Undoubtedly, tackling the skills shortage is one of the most urgent challenges that hospitality businesses face,” said Tamsyn Allington, the people and communications director at St Austell Brewery.

“As we see demand for UK travel and room bookings increase in the lead-up to summer, filling both front- and back-of-house positions will be crucial to ensure that we can continue to deliver a standout experience for customers and guests throughout the peak periods.”

The industry’s job market remains fraught. Recent figures from UKHospitality highlight a vacancy rate of around 19 per cent. Last year, there were said to be as many as 200,000 positions untaken.

A recovery across the sector is well underway, but in parts of the country – most notably in heavily seasonal ones like Cornwall – that could take a little longer. 

St Austell has decided to employ more traditional tactics with its campaign, which is being rolled out on a dedicated recruitment website and across the pub operator’s social media network. It includes targeted advertising on its Facebook and LinkedIn channels which will run over the weeks ahead. 

But, by intent, it is not dissimilar to moves from groups such as Zia Lucia, D&D London, and Rosa’s Thai, all of which have stepped up efforts to bring in new staff with training programmes and intensive courses. The idea is to seek out the career-minded.

There are people around who can pull a pint and take a plate of fish and chips over to a holidaying couple. With Cornwall’s busiest period on the near-horizon, its pubs will need new people – St Austell, which owns 180 pubs, inns, and hotels, clearly wants workers who care about the business they’re in.

“We hope that this campaign will help us to find passionate and talented people to join our teams and help us deliver unforgettable experiences,” Allington added.

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