Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) chairman Bob Ivell has been appointed as the new president for trade group, the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR).
Ivell, who was appointed as non-executive chairman at M&B in July 2011, is also non-executive director at Britvic and Charles Wells, and non-executive chairman of Carpetright. Former roles include a stint as executive chairman and MD of Scottish & Newcastle Retail and chairman at David Lloyd Leisure. He has also held roles as chairman of Regent Inns, chairman of Park Resorts and of Next Generation Clubs and was managing director of Beefeater restaurants at Whitbread.
Ivell said: ‘The ALMR has emerged as a uniting voice for our industry, representing businesses big and small. It successfully spans the spectrum of hospitality with over 200 pub, restaurant, bar and nightclub companies as members, and provides an essential voice to government, to MPs and to political influencers. The membership is strong and in our CEO, Kate Nicholls, we have expert leadership. I’m looking forward to helping the association promote our industry’s growth agenda.’
The ALMR is celebrating rapid growth at the moment, with a 30% increase in membership each year for the past three years. It now represents members across the pub, restaurant, bar and club sectors, with a combined total of more than 22,000 outlets, employing over 650,000 people.
CEO Kate Nicholls said: ‘I am delighted to welcome Bob to our team. As an organisation we are expanding rapidly, driven by a clear and compelling need for companies to come together as one voice and help government understand that the hospitality industry is an engine of growth that needs a free, fair and flexible market place in which to operate.
‘Our members’ businesses are highly responsive to, and easily impacted by, increasing taxation and regulatory change, in its many forms. It is therefore vital that we continue to build and fortify our links with Whitehall, at all levels, and Bob’s contribution will prove invaluable.’