Meet the finalists: Best Late Night Operator sponsored by Kopparberg

Advocate Group​

Advocate Group is a pub, bar, restaurant, hotel and late-night operator with sites based in the north-east including Grimsby, Hull and Scunthorpe. The company has 34 sites with around 11 of these being in the late-night sector.

It has consolidated its operating area to 150-mile radius to maximise efficiency and continues to grow due to its great knowledge of its trading area.

Advocate Group has taken advantage of the impact of the pandemic by acquiring a number of sites. Many of its late-night sites focus on the Friday and Saturday nights which are driven by the big DJ names.

The company is committed to responsible retailing supporting initiatives such as Challenge 25 and Ask for Angela. Late-night sites have chill-out areas should someone need a break and there is always free water. The company has also targeted concerns about drink-spiking by offering toppers to drinks. For staff training it has teamed up with both Grimsby University College and HCUK to offer a wide range of certified training.

Rekom​

Rekom, formerly Deltic, which runs nightclubs including Pryzm brand, was bought out of administration at the end of 2020 by the Nordic nightclub group, which operates 130 bars and clubs in Norway, Denmark and Finland.

Rekom now has 47 venues consisting of six bars, two restaurants and 35 nightclubs with licensed capacity from 450 to 2,800 guests.

During lockdown, the company invested heavily in marketing focusing on using data with its new ticketing platform, allowing it to understand its customer better.

The business has a ‘We Care’ policy across its venues that ensures there are ambassadors keeping guests safe with taxi escorts for anyone vulnerable to make sure they get home safely. There are also in-house medics, welfare rooms with phone charging, free drinking water and anti-spiking devices.

In August 2021, when nightclubs were able to reopen, Rekom UK revealed a surge in people returning to nightclubs with trading currently 150% up on its 2019 figures.

• Check out the full list of finalists at the 2022 Publican Awards here​​.​