The licensed trade in Scotland is barely recognisable to how it was before the ban on smoking in public places was introduced in 2006.
Having existed since 1978, Buzzworks Holdings has seen both sides of this, changing its model and settling into a successful niche of providing city centre quality restaurants bars outside of cities.
Food counts for two-thirds of sales so the company knows how important it is to make its 10 venues appealing to families.
It is clearly working. Sales are up 15.6 per cent for the year to April 2017 and are forecast to take another jump this year. Profits were up almost 10 per cent.
And the Blair family are not only providing somewhere for consumers to enjoy a meal and a drink, but they are providing more than 400 local jobs. That looks to be on the rise with at least one venue confirmed to open this year, and more likely to join it as the company begins to move out of its west coast heartland.
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