THE COURTYARD’S success has raised questions about Commercial Services after an astounding first year of business.
One year on from its opening, the success of the Courtyard has left many students with the impression that Commercial Services are mismanaging college bars.
The YUSU run bar took its £500,000th towards the end of last term.
Lewis Bretts, YUSU Democracy and Services Officer, revealed that the Courtyard has actually done “significantly better” than the initial plan for it to break even in its first year of business, leading to speculation that other campus bars could be doing far better in terms of commercial success.
The well established Derwent Bar, for example, was temporarily closed over the summer to the anger of Derwent students, when it became clear that the bar was operating at a loss.
One student told Vision: “If a bar cannot sell alcohol to students then the management should definitely be questioned.”
Langwith, on the other hand, are more than happy with the management of their bar. Newly-elected Chair, Connor Wilcock told Vision: “the Courtyard has been a great addition to Langwith College.” He went to on comment that he believed that a high level of cooperation between the college and the bar was one of the main reasons that they have managed to produce “a well-run and popular bar.”
Bretts dismissed the notion that the Courtyard’s successes has come at cost of the other campus bars. He suggested that the Courtyard could be held up as an example for other bars to follow rather than seen as a reason for the somewhat diminishing fortunes of the other bars.
“I really feel that we should never see strong competition as a negative thing” he told Vision. “The Courtyard Project set out to raise the standard of bars on campus, and I firmly believe that if both Commercial Services and YUSU seek to excel then they can both enjoy commercial success.”