Beetle-Juice

Salutions Publications | People
Salutions Publications | People
Beetle-Juice
MIX UP THE VW & VODKA* TO BRING THE COCKTAIL PARTY* TO YOU
(*OTHER SPIRITS AND PARTIES ARE AVAILABLE, TOO!)
For some reason, Volkswagen’s iconic camper vans from the 60s and the 70s gladden
the heart; who knew the Germans had it in them to produce such a thing to make us
smile so? They evoke memories and images of summers past and fun, fun, fun as
beach boys and bikini girls hit the surf. OK, it might only have been North Wales
or Cornwall, and not Malibu or Maui, but the VW vans were common to all.
And, they do just look great!
Beetle-Juice are available for hire for any events.
Please go to beetle-juice.co.uk for more information
or email April at [email protected]
Beetle-Juice will be at Tabley Point-to-Point on 10 April and The Paddock’s Spring
Open Day, in Ramsbottom, on 24 April. Go along and be ‘wowed’ by ‘Skyla’ and
Beetle-Juice’s infectious cocktail of good fun and great times.
7
April/May 2016 | salutions.co.uk
A
pril Stobart thought so, too, and, along with
some enterprising partners in London, has
converted one of these classical beauties into
a cocktail bar...can this story get any better?
But, before we lose ourselves in a heady win-win cocktail
of martinis, mojitos and manual gear changes, let’s first
meet April.
You may think the name rings a bell, well; chances are
you’ve spent a large portion of your life staring at it as you
follow the considerate and polite driver of the articulated
lorry in front. Eddie Stobart has been in the family for
many generations, with her father, William, now the head
of the well-known logistics firm. So, she’s certainly always
been connected to motors of one sort or another! April
was born and raised in Cumbria. After graduating in
Management Studies from the University of Nottingham,
she came to live in city-centre Manchester, as her father
had re-located the company’s headquarters to Warrington.
She went straight into work; first at Stobart Biomass,
a division of the family business, and then in their Human
Resources department in the city centre. She stayed within
the Stobart organisation for four years, gaining a good
overview of the business and lots of valuable experience
in organisational and people management skills, too.
Fiercely independent, April was always conscious
of making her own mark on the world. She had always
worked in pubs and bars; first in Cumbria and then in
Nottingham during her student days, and had, by now,
acquired a considerable amount of management
experience in that environment, too. A season in Val
Thorens, where she worked six days a week, provided
the answer she was seeking; she loved the vibrant energy,
atmosphere and fun that successful bars generate. And,
she was under no illusions about how much hard work
this would require.
She’d seen VW camper van bars whilst on holiday in
Thailand, and thought that they could be successful in the
UK, too. Whilst trawling the internet for information on
how to convert the vans into bars, she came across BeetleJuice. Founded in Surrey by brothers, Jonny and Julian,
and their friend, Harry, the relatively young company
had rapidly expanded their operations in London and
were seeking the right franchise partners to take the
message (and the VWs and cocktails) on the road. This
was a perfect fit for April’s ambitions and, so, beautiful
‘Skyla’ made her way up to the North West.
Hailing originally from Northern Ireland, well,
after her birth in Germany, of course, ‘Skyla’ had come
perilously close to the scrap heap before eventual rescue
and refurbishment. She was then acquired and converted
to a bar by the Beetle-Juice boys, and is now restored to
an even higher standard than new. She could certainly
give both Heidi Klum and Claudia Schiffer a run for their
money as Germany’s most beautiful export!
And now, we have the opportunity to meet her,
as she makes her way from garden parties to fetes, and
from corporate events to weddings, and every other
possible party permutation along the way.
April and her crew will be accompanying ‘Skyla’ as she
parties across the region; she’s completely self-contained,
with her own on-board bar, lights and, of course, sound
system! And, because she’s nifty and mobile, she can
park up and very quickly begin the festivities just about
anywhere. She’s partied on lawns, and in marquees and
tepees; on the driveways of houses, and in car parks;
in indoor spaces and concourses, too, and she’s even
managed to squeeze her gleaming wing mirrors through
the, admittedly wider than average, front doors of a house!
Cocktails are Beetle-Juice’s speciality but ‘Skyla’ can
be hired to provide whatever beverages the party
organiser desires. Fun, though, is not optional and
always accompanies April and ‘Skyla’ wherever they go!
Beetle-Juice are guaranteed to draw admiring crowds
and appreciative imbibers wherever they go; ‘Skyla’ has
a ‘wow’ factor bar none, and April and her team of
mixologists and professional bar tenders know exactly
how to get the party swinging.
Now, who wants to try that VW cocktail
I was experimenting with earlier?
April/May 2016 | salutions.co.uk
7