Best Tenanted/Leased Pub Company - Greene King

According to this year’s category judges, Greene King, saw off impressively strong competition from an exemplary field of operators, all of which, had gone above and beyond to ensure the interests of their operator partners were put front and centre. 

Greene King particularly impressed judges as, despite the scale of its business, it was able to offer meaningful and impressive support to operators across its estate – sometimes even on a bespoke level, which landed brilliantly with partners.

The Suffolk-based brewer and operator led from the front and set standards for many of its competitors to follow across the sector, acting quickly and with great effect. 

Judges added that it was hard not to be impressed by the sheer scale and breadth of the initiatives Greene King rolled out, as well as the hugely expensive costs of providing superb rent support to tenants. 

With leaders having a finger on the pulse of the unfolding crisis and fantastic attention to detail, the pub company made all the right moves to support and protect its operators, while continuing to innovate with its business with one eye on the future.

The impact of the pandemic has been huge on the pub world, but the actions of Greene King made sure that its tenants were well positioned to weather the storm and come out of the crisis fighting and ready to go. 

Greene King capped a great night which also saw the brewer-cum-operator win the Community Pub Operator of the Year award and CEO Nick Mackenzie named the title of Business Leader of the Year for being instrumental in impressively steering his business through choppy waters. 

Celebrating excellence

Ed Bedington, editor of The Morning Advertiser​, which organises the awards, said: “This year’s event has certainly been different, going from a gathering of 1,500 in Battersea to an online ceremony in the virtual world, but the ethos remains the same – celebrating excellence and there’s plenty to celebrate.

“Many companies, having faced the challenges and disasters of 2020 could be forgiven for pulling down the shutters and sitting the crisis out. Our finalists tonight, and many others in the sector, did the exact opposite of that, rose to the challenge and did some amazing things.

“We wanted to continue with the awards this year to recognise those businesses that made sacrifices and strove to not just keep going, but to improve and thrive in the teeth of a brutal storm.

“Here’s to next year when companies can get back to doing what they do best, providing outstanding hospitality experiences for their guests.”

• Check out the full list of winners from the 2021 Publican Awards ​here​​