Mitchells & Butlers annual report
Throughout 2021 the business faced Covid-enforced trading difficulties including lockdowns, loss of Christmas trade and the way the business operates and interacts with guests.
The annual report showcased the areas in which M&B have focused their attention with the aim of “doing the right things for the brands people love”. The report opens with a timeline outlining the last 18 months of disruption and the key events and initiatives that the company put in place to ensure they remained in a strong position.
Designed with an editorial feel and using new imagery taken between lockdowns, the report then went on to discuss how the business has put the safety of customers and employees first, remained a united team, and supported the communities in which it operates.
A new business model was created in an illustrative format to show how M&B is differentiated as a business and the value it creates for stakeholders, which all starts with clearly understanding what guests want and expect from the company. This is followed by the value creation story that identifies the six key stakeholders the business creates value for and how M&B engages with each of them throughout the year. The success achieved through this stakeholder engagement is shown as key highlights for each group.
M&B are at the beginning of their ESG reporting journey, but they recognise their impact on the environment and wider society. They have developed a new sustainability strategy designed to increase their positive effect on communities and reduce the negative effect of their operations on the environment. To help them do this they have aligned their sustainability strategy with 12 UN Sustainable Development Goals with the aim of ensuring that focus remains on key areas of risk and opportunity to enable them to better contribute to global priorities. To back this up they have also set four external targets that are measurable and align with the company’s strategic ambitions.
Given the importance and scale of the new sustainability strategy, the company has built a governance structure around the strategy to support the change needed, including a Board level committee, and this is discussed in the corporate governance section of the report.
The report delivers the authentic, transparent and consistent narrative that has been synonymous with M&B reports throughout recent years, and provides a glimpse behind the curtain to show readers what makes M&B one of the UK’s most successful and loved food and drink businesses, creating memorable moments for guests at every opportunity.