Bring your own booze policy saved my club, says owner

A nightclub owner said their idea to allow customers to bring their own alcohol has saved the venue from closing.

The XLR nightspot in Withington, Manchester, brought in the unusual policy a year ago.

Owner Chris Hindle said it gave the club a "real boost" with more people coming through the doors during what has been a tough financial climate in the hospitality sector.

He said relying on ticket sales predominantly has been a "win-win" situation with customers saving money and the club's takings receiving a boost.

While "bring your own booze" policies are not unusual in restaurants that do not serve alcohol, nightclubs traditionally rely heavily on their bar takings to survive.

The 33-year-old club owner said XLR, which is popular with students, would have folded had he not introduced the policy and customers were happy, too, with the maximum ticket price being £20.

"We've had a lot of feedback from customers saying they've saved a lot of money on nights out and, financially, the club's doing well," he said.

"If I didn't put it in place, I would have probably had to close the venue down last November.

"It has been a real boost for the club's finances. Everybody wins in this situation.

"The customers don't have to spend as much money. We save a lot of time and hassle on not buying as much alcohol in, and it just means the club can charge a bit more for the tickets and that's where our profit lies.

"Don't get me wrong, clubs are still not in the best position and we're still not making as much money as I'd like to but at the moment, the club is able to sustain itself.

"I see that as a win in this current climate."

The policy has not affected staffing levels either.

"Nobody lost their jobs, which was a big thing that when I put this into place, I wanted to make sure that sort of everybody's jobs were safe," Hindle, from Oldham, said.

Clubbers are asked to put their drinks in £2 lockers where they will remain for the duration of the night.

The lockers are then supervised by staff who can refuse to give customers more drinks if they feel they are too drunk.

However, Hindle said the club has had no issues with overconsumption.

"People haven't brought in stupid amounts. We've never had to turn anybody away," he said.

"Everyone's been really respectful of it."

He said other nightclubs have been interested in how the policy works and he has been invited to speak at the Paris Electronic Week - an annual festival dedicated to electronic music culture - next month to talk about alternative ticketing methods.

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