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25th November 2021

BII Licensee of the Year Award 2021…and the winner is!

The winners of this year’s BII Licensee of the Year Award, Jason and Chris Black from the Pityme Inn

The BII Licensee of the Year competition is widely regarded as the most rigorous and hard-fought award for individual licensee operators in the UK. Since June 2021, operators from across the UK have been whittled down from an exceptional field of over 200 entrants to crown the BII Licensee of the Year 2021.

Following a final judging day at Sky Head Quarters on Monday 22nd November, where each of the 6 finalists faced 4 panels of industry experts and operators, Jason and Chris Black from the Pityme Inn in Wadebridge, were named as the champions!

Chris and Jason had been strong competitors from the start, which saw them score highly across all areas including mystery customer visits and web and social media audits, as well as their on-site judging visit from judges Sue Allen and Paul Pavli. Their performance on the final judging day sealed the deal for these fantastic operators who have proved they have what it takes to be the best licensees in the UK.

The team from the Pityme Inn picked up their winner’s trophy in front of an audience of over 900 people at this year’s BII Winter Event, hosted on Tuesday 23rd November at the incredible Old Billingsgate, attended by the brightest and best from the industry.

Damian Saunders, Managing Director of Sky Business said:

“A huge congratulations to Jason and Chris for winning the Licensee of the Year Award. Sky is delighted to sponsor this award and play a part in recognising the individuals that have achieved so much in the industry, particularly after the incredible challenges they have faced over the last 18 months.”

Steve Alton, Chief Executive of the BII commented:

“I’d like to offer a massive congratulations to Chris and Jason on behalf of myself and the whole team here at the BII, including our fantastic judges. This is the most rigorous and intense competition in our industry, but it was clear to the judges that they had the dedication and passion deserving of a Licensee of the Year winner. I’d also like to congratulate our other finalists, as getting to the finals of this competition is an incredible achievement in itself.”

As winner of Licensee of the Year competition, they will receive a year’s free Pubs and Clubs subscription to Sky Sports, £500 towards a party in their pub to celebrate with their staff and a model of their pub created by artist Bunty May Marshall to commemorate their win.

The BII would also like to thank everyone who entered this year’s competition, despite the huge challenges they faced during the course of the pandemic. The LOYA competition will return to its original place in the calendar next year, so they will be launching their hunt for the future winners in a short few weeks in January 2022!

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