National launch for Best Bar None

by John Harrington

The Best Bar None (BBN) accreditation scheme is expected to be rolled out to about 50 towns and cities across Britain by April 2006. The scheme will also extend to off-licences, the Morning Advertiser has learnt.

Hopes are high that BBN, which recognises and rewards best practice at licensed premises, will become a common fixture across the country, as the scheme had its national launch in Manchester yesterday.

Currently about 40 towns and cities operate their own BBN schemes. Sergeant Jan Brown, from the pioneering scheme in Manchester, said there had been 'phenomenal interest from across the country, and she expected the number to rise by around 10 by next spring.

'There are clearly groups and individuals who take the issue seriously and are keen to do more to improve the reputation of the industry, Brown said.

Brown, who is part of the BBN working group tasked with rolling out the scheme nationwide, said she had received 'a lot of interest from off-trade retailers about the possibility of a BBN for the take-home sector.

'The answer to that is that it is coming, and we are currently in negotiation, she said.

The launch of the national BBN scheme took place at the Tiger Tiger bar in Withy Grove, Manchester, to coincide with the launch of this year's Manchester BBN. For the first time, Manchester licensees from outside the city centre area can enter.

Association of Licensed Mul-tiple Retailers chief executive Nick Bish, who attended the launch, said BBN is an effective 'bottom up approach to encourage best practice. He said it complements 'top down strategies such as the pan-industry code of conduct, which is currently being drawn up.

'If I was looking for a responsible operator I would look to Best Bar None, rather than whether their trade association has signed up to an industry code of conduct, said Bish.

Bish said BBN was a 'valuable alternative to the Government's plans for alcohol disorder zones.

To gain BBN accreditation, pubs and clubs are judged on a number of criteria including their door and drugs policies, crime prevention strategy, and emergency procedures. The criteria is the same for every BBN scheme, although different authorities can add in their own specific requirements.