BA chief set to take over marketing at S&N Retail

Pub and leisure company Scottish & Newcastle Retail (S&N Retail) has appointed Mike Hoban as its marketing and strategy director.

Pub and leisure company Scottish & Newcastle Retail (S&N Retail) has appointed Mike Hoban as its marketing and strategy director.

Hoban, who will join the board of S&N, starts in March. He comes from British Airways, where he is head of customer insight and brand strategy. He replaces Jeremy Blood, who took the role at S&N Retail in May 2001.

Blood has been appointed corporate affairs director for parent company Scottish & Newcastle plc. When he was S&N Retail strategy director, he oversaw the plan to install Internet kiosks across the managed pub estate (MW July 13, 2000).Hoban has previously held the position of senior marketing manager at WH Smith and senior product manager at Jacobs Bakery.

He will oversee the marketing managers of S&N Retail brands. The company’s portfolio includes the low price hotel chain Premier Lodge, the pub brands Chef & Brewer, John Barrett Community Pubs and Old Orleans, and style bar chain Bar 38.

S&N Retail sold more than 1,000 of its pubs to the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2001, while retaining the management contracts. It still owns 1,500 pubs and says that the outlets provide a good shop window for the brewery arm’s brands, such as John Smith’s bitter. It plans to further develop certain brands, including Premier Lodge and Chef & Brewer this year.