Slug and Lettuce

Slug and Lettuce

Type	Private limited company
Industry	Hospitality
Founded	Islington, London in 1984
Founder	Hugh Corbett
Headquarters	Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
Key people	Clare Staples (managing director)
Revenue	£44,134,000 (2011)
Operating income	£1,366,000 (2011)
Net income	£1,357,000 (2011)
Total assets	£77,826,000 (2011)
Owner	Stonegate Pub Company
Number of employees	1,520 (2011)
Website	www.slugandlettuce.co.uk

Slug and Lettuce is a chain of bars that operate in the United Kingdom, with a large number located in London and South East England. As of 2017, there are a total of 70 outlets. Hugh Corbett opened the first Slug and Lettuce opened in Islington in 1984. Corbett attempted to premiumise the pub experience, at a time when standards were often low.

The bars are designed for a youthful clientele, and aim to attract an equal number of women as well as men with "female friendly" designs. The chain has remained relevant by continually re-inventing itself for the contemporary marketplace. The chain has gone through a number of owners throughout its history, and is currently owned by the Stonegate Pub Company, based in Luton, Bedfordshire.

Hugh Corbett, an entrepreneur with a background in the hotel industry, opened The Slug and Lettuce pub on Islington Green, North London in 1984. At the time, Islington was becoming increasingly gentrified due to its proximity to the City of London financial district. Corbett owned a small number of pubs, which he rechristened with humorous or nonsensical names, with the effect of differentiating them from competitors. His pubs had the then notable differential of stripped out carpets and enlarged windows so that people could see inside from the street. Corbett listed his business in 1989 as Fast Forward, by which time it was a nine-strong chain. In 1990 Roger Protz identified the group as an imitation of David Bruce's Firkin chain pubs.

In 1992, the David Bruce controlled Grosvenor Inns acquired Fast Forward for £4.46 million, bringing Grosvenor's total number of pubs to thirty. By this time, Fast Forward owned thirteen pubs, all based around the London area, with seven under the Slug name. The decision was taken to appeal to customers in their 20s and 30s and make the bar "more contemporary", "more of a bar, less of a pub", "young and even rowdy" and "not blokey - not a very male environment", aiming for an equal proportion of both male and female clientele. Sheila McKenzie, who had founded the female-friendly Pitcher & Piano chain, was enlisted to enact these changes, and the Slug and Lettuce concept has been described as her "brainchild". Grovesnor felt that the pub chain had "lost its way", and concentrated on boosting its food operations.