JW Lees rewards its top licensees

Head of Manchester-based JW Lees, William Lees-Jones, said the seven figure sum highlighted a tremendous year of achievement for the brewery and its 172-strong pub estate.

“It’s been a great year for JW Lees and for me personally a very proud one which also saw us pick up the prestigious title of Best Community Pub Operator at the Publican Awards,” Lees-Jones told guests at the company’s annual awards night.

“This is in no small measure down to our great pubs. We are a great family brewery but we are not a great brewery without great pubs.

“There are a lot of major challenges facing our industry at the moment but at JW Lees we have been able to face up them.

“I thank all our licensees personally for enabling us to achieve a record year,” he added.

Lees-Jones singled out the performance of nine “gold nugget” pubs in its managed estate which had achieved individual seven figure turnover figures, a feat which confirmed them as members of Lees’ elite “Millionaires Club.”
Lees-Jones said facing up to the changes had meant the company selling 12 pubs over the year but despite these disposals Lees had signalled a commitment to grow its pub business revealing the company currently had offers on the table to acquire 12 new houses.

Lees Manager Of The year was named as Hugh Smyth from the Elizabethan, Sale, Cheshire, while the award of Tenant Of The Year went to Nicholas White and Peter Milnes of the Halfway House, Chorley, Lancashire.
A new award, Lifetime Achievement, went to Michael Boardman, the company’s longest serving licensee, who has run the Gardeners Arms, Middleton Junction near Oldham, for 32 years.