Publican Awards winner's story - triple-award winner Deltic

The company took home gongs for Responsible Retailer of the Year, Best Pub Operations Team and Best Late Night Operator.

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"We know how competitive the Publican Awards programme is, and to win not one, but three awards was absolutely amazing," Russell Margerrison chief financial officer of the Deltic Group, says. "It's testament to the hard work and commitment of Deltic's 3,000 employees across our 59 sites."

The transformation of its door security team to include more females trained to spot when customers are in vulnerable positions and the launch of the Bar & Beyond concept were among the initatives to impress judges.

"After the win, we published the news in the press section of our website and pushed out through our social channels," Margerrison continues. "We've also added all three wins to our email signatures. It's straightforward, but acts as a badge of excellence to show our partners that they're working with the best in the industry."

Since that glittering night, Deltic has continued to invest in the business, acquiring two sites, and refurbishing a number of others including three of the new Shoreditch-inspired Bar & Beyond sites in Chelmsford, Stevenage and Sheffield.

And Margerrison, who declares the Publican Awards a "benchmark of industry success", has the following words of advice for those contemplating entry.

"A win, or even a shortlisting, sends out the message that your business is doing great things. Go for it. The process might seem daunting at first, but you can learn a lot about your business in the process and it's well worth it."

• Think you could be our 2017 winner? Enter at www.publicanawards.co.uk​​​