Six of the best up for BII Licensee of the Year prize
The winning publican will be announced at the organisation’s summer event, held at the Honourable Artillery Company’s gardens on 4 June.
Those nominated include operators behind a 19th century site in Wiltshire; a husband and wife team running a country pub in Norfolk; and a licensee operating a former coaching inn in the Lake District.
The finalists for this year are:
· Danny & Tara Adams – the Greyhound, Bromham, Wiltshire
· James & Tom Bainbridge – the Tilbury, Datchworth, Hertfordshire
· Michelle Frankgate – Drayton Court Hotel, Ealing, west london
· David Hage & Mark Osborne – the Railway, Lowdham, Nottinghamshire
· Victoria & Gavin Hunt – the Fox, Lyng, Norfolk
· Samantha Robinson – Queens Head, Troutbeck, Cumbria
BII chief executive Mike Clist wished the finalists good luck in the next stage of the competition.
He said: “The BII Licensee of the Year competition has long been renowned for being the most rigorous of all the awards in licensed retailing and is the one that individual operators really want to win.
“We consistently see an extremely high standard of entrants and 2019 has been no exception.
“In the current climate, we feel more than ever that the talent and commitment of exceptional licensees needs to be recognised and rewarded and I wish our fantastic finalists well in the final stage of the competition."
The organisation’s judges whittled down 12 semi finalists to the final number by visiting and interviewing nominees about issues ranging from their business to their own personal development.
The winner will be decided by three judging panels that will interview the licensees on business development, people and training, and financial awareness. These interviews will take place the day before the winner is announced on 3 June.
