SLTA secretary Colin Wilkinson has worked for the trade association for 35 years. Karen Peattie caught up with him to hear some of his views and how things have changed in that time
LITTLE did Colin Wilkinson know that his early career aspirations to become a civil engineering technician would change direction, leading him to a trade organisation called the Scottish Licensed Trade Association – and that he’d still be there after 35 years.
“I’d left school and was enjoying what I was doing but in those days it was a case of ‘last in, last out’ and I could see how the industry was going,” he recalls. “I could see redundancy on the horizon so I took a job at the SLTA. It was only meant to be a stop-gap but I absolutely loved it – it gave me an opportunity to meet lots of really interesting people. It was also a fascinating industry and there was such great camaraderie among everyone – I didn’t want to leave.”
Wilkinson served his “apprenticeship” as assistant secretary and became secretary in 1999. Fast-forward to 2017 and there are few similarities between the SLTA today and the one it was 35 years ago although its main role – to protect and promote the rights and interests of members, offer advice and provide networking opportunities – remains the same.
But as Wilkinson points out it is the way in which the SLTA does much of its work that has changed. “The organisation is very, very different and has changed many times over the years,” he says. “However, it’s quite remarkable that we didn’t really make our first major change until about 1995 despite having been formed in 1880 – almost 140 years ago. Like many trade associations we were deeply rooted in tradition but there comes a time when you have to leave some of that behind for the greater good of the membership – you have to look to the future.”
Wilkinson remembers a time when there were “so many local associations it was difficult to keep track of them all”. At one point there were over 40 small independent licensed trade associations in Scotland, such as the Broughty Ferry and Lochee Licensed Traders Association. “What that does tell you, though, is how important pubs were to communities,” says Wilkinson. “There were obviously a lot more licensed premises then so local associations had a key role to play but as numbers diminished there wasn’t the same need to have them.
“In terms of how we operated we had to change and there was understandably a lot of resistance from people who liked to do things the way they’d always been done,” he continues. “It’s the same today – not everyone embraces change – but most people do come round once they see the benefits that change brings to their business.
“In the mid-1990s, the changes we made were very successful and by taking a more national approach with fewer local associations and committees we were able to become more professional and reach out to members in a more representative and ordered way,” says Wilkinson.
The more recent overhaul of the STLA has seen broad-ranging measures implemented to change the way the organisation engages with its members and the industry with chief executive Paul Waterson stating that this ambitious three-year Time for Change action plan, launched in November 2015, is progressing “beyond expectations”.
“We’re around 18 months into the new strategy and at this stage we’re actually much further ahead than we anticipated,” Wilkinson points out. “We’re forging excellent relationships with industry and corporate partners, our profile in the licensed trade and wider business sector has never been higher, and we have a very strong external media image.
“Our amalgamation with the Scottish Bartenders Network has been hugely successful in helping us to engage with younger members of the licensed trade which is absolutely crucial for the future of our industry.”
Wilkinson points to the younger generation as a prime example of how the licensed trade communicates differently now – and why it has been important to develop a strong online presence for the SLTA via its revamped website and social media channels. “We’re effectively a one-stop-shop for the trade and with mobile-phone use among younger people so high it makes sense for these members to be able to access all our services and get the information they need at the touch of a button,” he says.
“I believe that as a trade association we are fit for purpose in the 21st century,” Wilkinson continues. “We’re obviously very committed to training and encouraging our members to invest in their staff so our training app, for example, allows people to access key training quickly and easily – and the format makes it more appealing to young people entering the industry.
“We’re a very democratic trade association and do our best to respond to what people tell us they want,” he says. “Licensees need to maintain very high standards and everything we do is geared towards helping them do that. In a world with so much uncertainty just now it is reassuring for our members to know that they can come to us for help and advice on all aspects of their business.”
Colin Wilkinson could write a book with all the stories he has about members, events and all the changes he alludes to. “I’d be here all day,” he laughs. “But I always remember what one member said to me when I asked him what the biggest change was in his business. He said ‘I used to run a pub that served some food – now I run a restaurant that also sells alcohol.’
“I think that sums up the direction that many pubs have taken in recent years,” he says, “but what it also shows is that our industry is resilient and prepared to adapt in order to survive.”