The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) is delighted to announce their thirteen semi-finalists for this year’s Licensee of the Year competition.
Sponsored by our fantastic partners at Sky, the Licensee of the Year competition is widely regarded as the most rigorous and hard-fought award for individual licensee operators in the UK.
Since the launch in January this year, licensee operators have been entering the competition, showing the judges evidence of how they have been rebuilding their businesses and communities, with a focus on their resilience, sustainability and diversification.
This year, the entries and Quarter-Finalists have been of a particularly high standard, making it even more difficult for our team of judges to decide on our Semi-Finalists.
Selected from a field of over 300 entrants, the largest number of nominations for the awards in the last 5 years, our 13 Semi-Finalists have reached this far in the awards on the basis of their exceptional work (evidenced in their mystery diner visit, financial and web presence audits). Judges, Sue Allen and Ashley McCarthy, will be making their way across the country to meet all Semi-Finalists in person to experience their businesses first hand.
The 2022 Licensee of the Year Semi-Finalists are as follows:
Amanda & Nick Hemmings – Heron Inn, Truro, TR1 1SL
Mark Annear – The Cott Inn, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 6HE
Sam Hopkins – Dartmoor Halfway Inn, Newton Abbey, TQ12 6JW
Michael Pearson & Charlotte Salaman – The Wych Elm, Kingston Upon Thames, KT2 6HT
Ruth & Andrew Seggie – Howard Arms, Carlisle, CA8 1NG
Joe Buckley – Tollemache Arms, Harrington, NN6 9NU
Henry Pearman – Ye Olde Horseshoe Inn, Belbroughton, DY9 9ST
Mark & Nicky Williamson – The West Arms, Dyffryn Ceiriog, LL20 7LD
Rumit & Tosh Lakhani – The White Horse,, Wotton-Under-Edge, GL12 8DX
Stuart Fox & Julian Crowley – The White Horse, Dover, CT16 1QF
James Lyon Shaw – The Greene Oak, Windsor, SL4 5UW
Michelle Proud – The Falcon, Prudhoe, NE42 5DN
Jane Jenkins – The Garthangharad, Llywyngwril, LL37 2UZ
To learn more about our Semi-Finalists, please visit our website:
Steven Alton, BII CEO commented:
“Our Licensee of the Year Award is the most prestigious & hard-fought award, showing the excellence in our sector; our Semi-Finalists are of a fantastic standard.
“We are proud that the awards process this year, more than ever, is offering a value-added experience to all those involved with business insight and the chance to evaluate your business available at every stage from mystery diner visits and feedback, right through to our final judging day at Sky HQ.”
Our Finalists will be announced week commencing 6th June 2022.
All six finalists will be presented with a trophy at the BII Summer Event on the 21st June, where the winner of Licensee of the Year 2022 will be crowned.
The BII would like to thank everyone who has entered the competition this year. Keep your eyes peeled for another opportunity to enter in the January 2023.
ENDS
Notes to the editor:
About the British Institute of Innkeeping:
The BII is the leading independent licensee support organisation for individuals working in hospitality, with 10,000 individual members running premises across the UK – predominantly tenanted, leased, managed and freehold pubs. The organisation provides expert helplines, online business support, and guidance on key industry issues, and savings on a range of supply deals for its members, keeping pubs thriving in the heart of every community.
Press release from the BII
For further information please contact:
Molly Davis, Head of Communications
molly.davis@bii.org