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Group Focus Magazine Feature, Autumn 2006 - 'Keep it Rolling'

Address:	Balls Brothers Group, London Office:, 313 Cambridge Heath Rd, London E2 9LQ
Tel	020 7739 6466
Fax:	020 7729 0258
Email:	Contact by email
Website:	Visit their website

Group Focus Magazine Feature, Autumn 2006 - 'Keep it Rolling' Information:

A thoroughbred in the bar world, Balls Brothers enjoys a loyal following by ignoring passing fads and offering constant quality, as Anna Longmore discovers.

W alking into Balls Brothers’ newest City wine bar, at Bury Court, a sense of permanence is instantly apparent. This bar will celebrate its first birthday in September but it already exudes the confidence of an established institution. The decor is fresh and welcoming: sturdy oak flooring, shelves heaving with wine bottles and huge windows that flood the room with sunlight. But something else makes it clear that this place is here to stay.

After talking to the group’s operations director Simon Atkins, I am less mystified by my first impressions. This is a brand built on strong foundations. Balls Brothers has been importing liquor for 160-odd years and managing director Richard Balls is the fifth generation of the family to take the reins. As a wine merchant, the company has been part of the London landscape since 1946, when its first branch opened in Bow Lane.

The Balls Brothers portfolio now runs to 17 branches, which includes Gow’s Restaurant and Mulligans Irish bar. There’s also a thriving events side to the Balls Brothers operation, helping the company build a dynamic relationship with customers through anything from food and wine evenings to casino events.

Atkins is keen to convey that, although Balls Brothers has dabbled in businesses around the country, it remains a tight-knit operation. ‘Our core has always been in the centre of London,’ he explains. ‘The fundamental reason is that we are very much able to be involved on a day-to-day basis. It’s no great surprise to find any of the family or myself in any location at any time.’ This close relationship between directors, management and staff ensures that, in an industry notorious for its flighty workforce, Balls Brothers keeps hold of its employees. ‘We have an amazing retention of staff,’ says Atkins proudly. ‘To give you an idea, the manager here at Bury Court has been with us for nine years, the chef for seven years and the assistant manager about four years.’

Both hands-on management and loyal staff are central to Balls Brothers’ success, largely because they breed familiarity with the bar chain’s professional customer base. ‘Our customers work in high-pressure environments,’ says Atkins. ‘We know they’re coming to us to relax and recharge their batteries, or to develop relationships with their colleagues and customers. There is a level of attentiveness that they’re not totally aware of and they don’t feel the formality of it.’

Where wine is concerned, these are discerning customers with high expectations and developed palates. ‘We won’t hoodwink them,’ says Atkins. ‘They have a knowledge about food and liquor far greater than you’d think. They want us to be able to make recommendations and offer them something to taste.’ With each site carrying between 100 and 160 wines, an ongoing training programme ensures that staff have the confidence to make informed suggestions. Richard Balls himself does much of the sourcing and buying of wine. The core list, which changes four times a year, focuses largely on France and the old world, and Atkins points out the number of small producers represented. ‘We are giving customers access to wines that you don’t find that easily on the high street,’ he says.

The variety of evening tasting events at each branch is another way of building relationships and informing customers, and prices are kept accordingly low. The offering ranges from free, informal wine tastings and educational talks to region-led sit-down wine dinners or oyster and Champagne evenings. Customers and staff are often given access to the growers and winemakers themselves through these sessions. ‘Other people can get bottles of wine but we can show you where it comes from,’ he says. ‘Because we know a lot of our producers, they are very happy to be involved with us. They’re passionate about what they do and their knowledge is fantastic.’

Balls Brothers has opted to put individual managers in charge of corporate and private events, rather than having a central events team, so that he or she knows exactly what is going on and is on site to address any problems. With 13 very different branches packed into the Square Mile, the chain can accommodate anything from a small gathering at short notice to a 275-person drinks function or full private hire at weekends.

‘Many of our team have worked in a number of different locations, so every manager knows the facilities at the other sites,’ says Atkins. Wine-based events, such as expert-led Call My Bluff competitions, blind tastings and tutored sessions, take centre stage, but jazz trios, casino evenings and themed parties are similarly popular. There is also a strong emphasis on sporting events, including the renowned petanque (or boules) competition in Hays Galleria.

With its old world wine list and staple events programme, Balls Brothers has never pretended to be cutting edge, but its integrity and commitment has ensured it a loyal following. ‘We’re very consistent,’ says Atkins. ‘Some people may say that’s boring but the customer wants to feel confident and we work very hard towards that. There’s a lot of talk in this trade about passion. It’s very easy to say “I’m passionate”. We’re not just passionate; we’re professional about it, which is very important for our clientele, because they are of the same mindset.’

These are enduring and trend-proof values. Atkins looks baffled when I suggest that the wine bar became somewhat unfashionable during the 90s heyday of the style bar. ‘We never lost out. What you’re talking about is a skin,’ he says. ‘I could change one of our bars over a weekend. I could whip the furniture out, repaint it, change the music, put a different menu in, blacken the windows and it would look totally different. But that’s skin-deep. This is quality, and it doesn’t feel like it’s going to fall apart.’

This philosophy permeates the whole of the business. It’s no secret that Balls Brothers is looking to expand beyond its current City stronghold, but Atkins is adamant that its staff will be the first to know. The company is owned predominantly by its managing director, which means it is not sidetracked by internal politics, but after five generations, the Balls family is in no hurry. ‘Most people are growing companies to realise their cash from it and then be able to do something else,’ reflects Atkins. ‘So it means a lot to be working for someone whose sole objective is to pass it on to the next generation. We’re different. We’re here for the long term.’

Click here for more information on The Balls Brothers Group.