Awards host, comedian David Walliams, handed out 19 awards on Monday night at London’s Grosvenor House in front of 1,300 guests – the biggest event in the pub industry’s calendar.
Family brewer Fuller’s won the Best Managed Pub Company and Best Food Offer categories for operators with 51+ sites. And its operations director – tenanted, Mike Clist, collected the Outstanding Industry Contribution award.
14-strong Hertfordshire multiple operator Oakman Inns, run by Peter Borg-Neal, was named Best Community Operator, Best Employer (2-50 sites) and Best New Pub/Bar for the Beech House in St Albans.
It was a good night for Punch Taverns too, as the tenanted pubco won Best Operations Team (for Paul Pavli’s new business division) and was named the inaugural winner of the new Responsible Retailer of the Year award, sponsored by Drinkaware.
Best Managed Pub Company (2-50 sites) went to New World Trading Company – part of Living Ventures – which also won the Best Drinks Offer award.
Star Pubs & Bars collected a hard-fought trophy for Best Tenanted & Leased Pub Company (201+ sites), and St Austell won the same award for pubcos with up to 200 sites.
Brewdog took a competitive Best Brand/Concept award, for its fast-growing estate of craft beer bars, ahead of the highly-commended Common Room chain from Stonegate. And Brewdog was itself highly commended in the Best Brewing Pub Company category, but lost out to winner, Shropshire-based Joule’s.
Late Night Operator of the year was Columbo Group; Best Accommodation Operator went to Beds & Bars; and the Best Food Offer (2-50 sites) award was given to Joycelyn Neve’s Seafood Pub Company.
Whitbread was named Best Employer (51+ sites).
And Mike Tye, chief executive of Spirit Pub Company, was voted Business Leader of the Year. He delivered a video acceptance speech to Publican Awards guests from his holiday in Vietnam.
Full list of Publican Awards winners 2015
Best Accommodation Operator
Winner: Beds & Bars
Highly commended: Young’s
Best Brand/Concept
Winner: BrewDog
Highly commended: Common Room (Stonegate)
Best Brewing Pub Company
winner: Joule’s
Highly commended: Brew Dog
Best Community Pub Operator
Winner: Oakman Inns
Highly commended: Thorley Taverns
Best Drinks Offer
Winner: New World Trading Company
Highly commended: Be at One
Best Employer (2 to 50 sites)
Winner: Oakman Inns
Best Employer (51+ sites)
Winner: Whitbread
Best Food Offer (2 to 50 sites)
Winner: Seafood Pub Company
Highly commended: Anglian Country Inns
Best Food Offer (51+ sites)
Winner: Fuller’s
Best Late Night Operator
Winner: Columbo Group
Highly commended: Luminar
Best Managed Pub Company (51+)
Winner: Fuller’s
Best Managed Pub Company ( 2 to 50)
Winner: New World Trading Company
Best New Pub/Bar
Winner: The Beech House, St Albans – Oakman Innss
Highly commended: Smugglers Cove, Liverpool – New World Trading Company
Best Operations Team
Winner: Punch Taverns (new business team)
Best Tenanted & Leased Pub Company (up to 200 sites)
Winner: St Austell Brewery
Best Tenanted & Leased Pub Company (201+ sites)
Winner: Star Pubs & Bars
Business Leader of the Year
Winner: Mike Tye, Spirit Pub Company
Outstanding Industry Contribution
Winner: Mike Clist, Fuller's
Responsible Retailer of the Year
Winner: Punch Taverns
Highly commended: Star Pubs & Bars