Marston’s: from the Beautiful Game to an absolute game-changer
15th July 2021 |
Never mind the Beautiful Game and the skill of the players in the England versus Italy final of the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship.
Just consider three hard numbers:
- In total, around 31 million people across the BBC and ITV saw the game in the UK, making it one of the most-watched events in British television history
- About £3 billion was injected into the UK economy on Sunday 11 July
- An estimated 13 million pints of beer were sold at licensed premises across the country.
Marston’s (LSE: MARS) and City Pub Group (LSE: CPC), two of the holdings in the Frontier Tech Investor portfolio, are nearly certain to have been beneficiaries of all this.
In fact, the football-charged beer-drinking frenzy is only the latest piece of recent and good news for Marston’s.
On 8 July 2021, the company announced it had signed a new contract with gamified training experts Attensi.
After a successful eight-week trial period, the contract, spanning three years, will provide staff members with a training platform. It is called “Marston’s Skills”.
Within it, there are virtual games and challenges which are akin to real-life pub scenarios.
They are broken down into modules, with Marston’s hoping to create a new module each month.
So far, 8,600 people have completed the training. According to Marston’s, 90% of its team members prefer this training method to more traditional methods.
Speaking in April, ahead of the trial period, Marston’s HR director, Liam Powell, stated:
“The partnership with Attensi demonstrates our determination to invest in and grow our people and our business. As we move forward as a focused pub company, we see this platform being an absolute game changer to helping our teams grow their knowledge, experience and careers with us.”
We agree.
Marston’s is using technology to train its staff.
The staff will be better equipped to handle any situation that they encounter.
They will be more motivated and productive.
We believe that sooner or later, this will benefit the bottom line and brand of Marston’s.
In fact, Marston’s has largely completed the training programme just in time for pubs to return to something like pre-Covid 19 normality.
This week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that England will move to the final stage of easing coronavirus restrictions on 19 July 2021.
Capacity limits will be lifted, and there will be an end to the table service only rule.
In addition, social distancing guidance will be removed, and the rule of six at a table is no longer applicable.
Meanwhile, the busy summer season is getting underway.
The game changer comes just as the pitch is already tilting in favour of Marston’s.
The stock is currently a HOLD in the portfolio. You can find the original recommendation here.
Buy list update
Smartspace Software (LSE: SMRT)
The coronavirus pandemic looks to have changed many people’s working patterns for good.
Flexible home and office working has become the new norm.
Meanwhile, safety is still a top priority; for employers and employees alike.
Smartspace Software has helped many companies to safely adapt to the changes brought about by the pandemic.
Through its workspace management solutions, it has allowed companies to adhere to strict Covid-19 protocols, and at the same time, optimise their facilities.
On 12 July 2021, the company announced several new distribution agreements.
These distribution agreements relate to its flagship Space Connect workspace management solution.
Notable distribution partners include: XMA, a global IT solutions business; and AVMI, a global provider of visual collaboration services.
The AVMI deal is Smartspace’s first venture into Ireland.
Matt Pope, managing director of Smartspace, said:
“I am delighted to welcome these significant partners to our growing partner network for Space Connect. As well as increasing our number of partners, we are also now expanding the geographical reach for our products. We continue to see increasing demand for Space Connect as businesses adapt to the concept of hybrid working plus other demands, as a result of the Covid pandemic.”
As the world continues to adjust to permanent, flexible working, we anticipate demand for Smartspace’s solutions to remain high.
Once again, consider the hard numbers.
According to research firm Verdantix, the workplace software market will grow from $0.9 billion now to $1.7 billion in 2026.
Our optimism for the stock is reinforced.
The stock is currently a HOLD in the portfolio. You can find the original recommendation here.
AMTE Power (LSE: AMTE)
AMTE Power is a developer of lithium-ion battery cells.
On 5 July 2021, the company announced it has signed a Heads of Terms agreement with InfraNomics, an Australian infrastructure developer.
It follows a Memorandum of Understanding, which was initially established in September 2020.
In the deal, a new business venture, called Bardan Cells Pty Ltd., has been formed. It will be based in Western Australia.
The venture will focus on the manufacturing and distribution of battery cells for use in power storage systems.
In doing so, AMTE will apply its expertise and licensed technology.
Bardan intends to develop the cells using net-zero carbon manufacturing techniques.
Dave Pell, CCO at AMTE Power, noted:
“The creation of Bardan Cells Pty Ltd is hugely exciting. We’re thrilled with this development that will further allow us to develop sustainable cells, not only for the UK but also in a mineral-rich country like Australia. Importantly though, we’re excited to become an important part of Australia’s focus on renewable energy. After the success of our recent IPO, we’re determined to build on this momentum and accelerate further.”
To us, this new business venture shows AMTE’s desire to grow its international presence.
In addition, the venture highlights the diversification to AMTE’s product range.
In the main, its current focus has been on delivering batteries to the electric vehicle (EV) market.
Now, in this deal, it will be leveraging its renewable power storage systems, which tie into the current green agenda being pushed by governments in many countries.
It follows the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate meeting, which took place between 22 and 23 April. It saw national leaders meet to discuss, and set, strict emissions targets.
Australia was part of the talks, which may help to explain InfraNomics’ desire to use AMTE’s renewable power storage systems.
With this in mind, the current outlook for AMTE looks promising.
The stock is currently a BUY. You can find the original recommendation here.
Sam Volkering
Editor, Frontier Tech Investor
Elliott Playle
Junior Analyst, Frontier Tech Investor
