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.

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 finalists:

  • Greene King
  • Hippo Inns Ltd
  • City Pub Group 


Best Managed Pub Company (2 to 50 sites) - sponsored by Molson Coors

This award will be 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 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 Popplestone Allen 

WINNER: Simon Emeny, Fuller, Smith & Turner


The Morning Advertiser's Outstanding Industry Contribution

WINNER: James Staughton, St Austell Brewery

Read the Full Story

If you have any questions about the event  please contact Hazel Batchelar on 01293 846551 or email Hazel.Batchelar@wrbm.com

What our customers say...

"Entering The Publican Awards is not taken lightly with countless hours spent scrutinising whether you have done enough to warrant an entry. It's a process that allows you clarity in your vision, focus on your strategy and guidance as to hoe you move it forward"

Jayson Perfect, The Liberation Group

"I have received many grateful notes from those we invited who thoroughly enjoyed the whole evening, as I did. I hope that some of them may think of entering the Awards next year"

Brigid Simmonds OBE, Chief Executive, BBPA

"Thank you so much for such a fabulous evening at last night's awards. It really was a wonderful evening - congratulations to all your team for organising such a wonderful event."

Clair Thornburn PR The Inn Collection Group

"Firstly - well done on yet another  brilliant Publican Awards. Though the event was very good. Food was excellent - best ever - and thought the drinks reception was exceptional. We were obviously delighted to pick up our two awards!"

Georgina Wald, Corporate Communications Manager Fullers

"I just wanted to congratulate you on a fantastic Publican Awards and thank you very much for my invite. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and well executed as ever. Excellent food and really great selection of drinks."

Tom Davies, Brakspear Brewery