2020 Winners
Best Accommodation Operator
This award will be presented to a pub company that has focused on offering accommodation as a key part of their business. Accommodation will play a significant part in contributing to the company’s profits and helping drive trade.
WINNER: Brakspear
The finalists:
- Stay Original Company
- PubLove
- The Inn Collection Group
- Brakspear
Best Pub Brand / Concept – sponsored by Asahi UK
This award will be presented to the best pub brand/concept. It may be your company’s only brand/concept or one of several brands within the company that demonstrates business success, clear strategies and strong focus on innovation and development. The finalists are:
WINNER: Hickory’s Smokehouse
The finalists:
- Arc Inspirations – Manahatta
- The New World Trading Co – The Florist
- Brasserie Bar Co
- Hickory’s Smokehouse
Best Brewing Pub Company – sponsored by Fentimans
This award recognises companies who operate both a successful brewery and a managed or tenanted/leased pub estate or both. The company will have between 2 and 150 pub sites.
WINNER: North Brewing Co
The finalists:
- North Brewing Co
- BrewDog
- Brewhouse & Kitchen
Best Sustainable Pub Company – sponsored by Sky Business
This award will be presented to a pub company that demonstrates a significant and concerted effort to reduce its waste. This includes the reduction and / or redistribution of food waste; energy reduction and management; plastics and single use items.
WINNER: Greene King
The finalists:
- Greene King
- Darwin & Wallace
- Palmers Brewery
- Frederic Robinsons
Best Community Pub Operator – sponsored by Britvic
The winning company will have a successful pub estate of community focused pubs – community focused meaning trade predominantly targets local rather than destination customers.
WINNER: Craft Union
The finalists:
- Blind Tiger Inns
- Mitchells and Butlers: Sizzling Pub Company
- Wells & Co.
- Craft Union
Best Food Offer – sponsored by CGA
This award will be presented to a pub company that delivers a successful mainstream food offer across their estate, with food a key part of the company’s total sales. This award is open to companies which average food price for a two course meal (Starter/Dessert and Main) is from £12.50 to £25 per head.
WINNER: Liberation Group
The finalists:
- Hippo Inns
- Shepherd Neame
- BBQ Whiskey Beer
- Berkeley Inns Ltd.
- Liberation Group
Best Premium Food Offer – sponsored by Budweiser Brewing Company UK&I
This award will be presented to a pub company that delivers a successful premium food offer across their estate, with food a key part of the company’s total sales. This award is open to companies which average food price for a two course meal (Starter/Dessert and Main) is above £25 per head.
WINNER: Anglian Country Inns
The finalists:
- Seafood Pub Company
- Anglian Country Inns
- Bel & The Dragon
- The White Brasserie Company
Best Drinks Offer – sponsored by Coca-Cola European Partners
This award will be presented to a pub company that demonstrates drinks retail excellence, with drink sales a key part of the company’s total profits.
WINNER: Cirrus Inns
The finalists:
- Cirrus Inns
- Barworks
- Berkeley Inns
- Cheshire Cat Pubs & Bars
Best Late Night Operator – sponsored by Kopparberg
This award will be presented to the late night pub/bar/club operator that demonstrates sales growth; excellent business innovation, drinks retail excellence and strong entertainment and marketing ideas. The award is open to companies whose trading hours operate past midnight.
WINNER: Inception Group
The finalists:
- Stonegate Pub Company
- The Deltic Group
- Inception Group
Best New Pub/Bar – sponsored by Heineken UK
The winning pub site will have opened during the past 24 months. The site will either be a new-build pub or substantial re-development and entrants must demonstrate evidence of how effectively trade has been built at the site.
WINNER: Cameron’s Brewery – Head of Steam, Leeds
The finalists:
- Three Cheers Pub Co – the Bedford, Balham, south London
- Cameron’s Brewery – Head of Steam, Leeds
- North Brewing Co – North Brewing Co Tap, Leeds
- Urban Pubs & Bars – Juno Rooms, City of London
- Albion & East – Serata Hall, Shoreditch, east London
- Liberation Group – the Ostrich, Bristol
Best Pub Employer (up to 500 employees)
This award will be presented to the pub company that provides an excellent working environment for employees including comprehensive training, strong staff motivation and benefits and a meaningful career path/ development structure for employees.
WINNER: The Inn Collection Group
The finalists:
- The Inn Collection Group
- Barworks
- Brewhouse & Kitchen
- Stay Original Company
Best Pub Employer (501+ employees) – sponsored by MCA Insight
This award will be presented to the pub company that provides an excellent working environment for employees including comprehensive training, strong staff motivation and benefits and a meaningful career path/ development structure for employees.
WINNER: Stonegate Pub Company
The finalists:
- McMullen & Sons
- The New World Trading Co
- Stonegate Pub Company
- Oakman Inns
Best Pub Operations Team
This award will be presented to the pub operations team that best demonstrates its effectiveness in innovation, leadership and business success.
WINNER: Hippo Inns Ltd
The finalist:
- Greene King
- Hippo Inns Ltd
- City Pub Group
Best Managed Pub Company (2 to 50 sites) – sponsored by Molson Coors
This award is presented to a highly successful managed retail estate with between 2 and 50 sites, which has shown strong innovation and business performance in the past year.
WINNER: Urban Pubs & Bars
The finalists:
- Arc Inspirations
- Oakman Inns
- Barworks
- Urban Pubs & Bars
- Brewhouse & Kitchen
Best Managed Pub Company (51+ sites) – sponsored by CPL Learning
This award will be presented to a highly successful managed retail estate, which has shown strong innovation and business performance in the past year.
WINNER: Mitchells & Butlers: Nicholson’s
The finalists:
- Bermondsey Pub Company
- Mitchells & Butlers: Nicholson’s
Best Tenanted/Leased Pub Company (up to 500 sites) – sponsored by HGEM
This award will be presented to a highly successful tenanted or leased retail estate with up to 500 sites.
WINNER: Shepherd Neame
The finalists:
- Palmers Brewery
- Frederic Robinsons
- Shepherd Neame
Best Tenanted/Leased Pub Company (501+ sites) – sponsored by Kuehne + Nagel
This award will be presented to a highly successful tenanted or leased retail estate with over 501 sites.
WINNER: Punch Pubs & Co
The finalists:
- Ei Group
- Greene King
- Punch Pubs & Co
Business Leader of the Year – sponsored by Poppleston Allen
WINNER: Simon Emeny, Fuller, Smith & Turner
The Morning Advertiser‘s Outstanding Industry Contribution
WINNER: James Staughton, St Austell Brewery
If you have any questions about the event, please contact Hazel Batchelar on 01293 846551, or Hazel.Batchelar@wrbm.com.
