Running a pub isn't just about pouring the perfect pint - it's about keeping the wheels turning smoothly, safely and sustainably. I know because I have the privilege of working with Young’s, a British pub group with over 280 sites to do just that. Our partnership has enhanced safety, efficiency and green credentials through the way we manage the gas supply. Here’s how.
Pubs rely on gases like carbon dioxide to carbonate fizzy drinks and dispense beers. Traditionally, that means storing heavy gas cylinders, some weighing up to 104kg on site. Moving these is no joke. It takes staff away from serving customers and comes with serious safety risks. Manual handling injuries are a real issue in the UK. The Health and Safety Executive reported over 600,000 workplace injuries in 2023/24, with manual handling the second highest culprit. Working together with Young’s, we wanted to find a better way.
Enter our CarboStore™ CO2 supply system. We install liquid gas tanks with remote fill points on external walls, paired with onsite nitrogen generators. This setup eliminates the need for staff to wrestle with cylinders and allows deliveries to happen seamlessly without interrupting service. We've also fitted CO2 monitors across Young’s estate – as always, safety first.
Along with safety, any successful business must keep a close eye on efficiency too. With uncertainty around inflation and rising labour costs, pubs, along with all other sectors, need to streamline operations. Our tanks come with telemetry, a fit-and-forget system that automatically signals when a refill is needed. No more coordinating deliveries and the risk of running dry mid-service. This just-in-time approach keeps Young's bars humming, staff behind the counter and customers happy. Bill Epsley, Young's Commercial Manager, put it best, “It removes the headache and ensures we've always got gas to operate”.
Sustainability is another big box to tick, for eco conscious customers are driving demand for greener businesses. More than 60% of UK consumers are concerned about climate change, with 21% willing to pay more for sustainable products according to a recent You Gov poll. Avoiding unnecessary deliveries means doing away with related costs, as well as slashing carbon emissions, which aligns perfectly with Young’s sustainability goals: reducing their environmental footprint while keeping operations lean.
Our joint efforts have meant that Young’s has all but eliminated time-consuming cylinder changeovers and much of the admin of managing gas orders. Every detail matters when you're running a pub group of this scale, especially in a tough market. The leisure sector has had a rough ride – COVID lockdowns, a cost-of-living crisis and labour shortages.
The leisure sector is evolving fast and we are committed to staying ahead of the curve, delivering solutions that make pubs safer greener and enable staff to divert their time from managing gas supply to serving customers and generating revenue. Want to learn more about how we are supporting Young's Pubs or explore gas solutions for your business? Check out Air Products or download our Good Gas Guide. Let's raise a glass to smarter pub operations!