2011 BII Licensee Of The Year Unveiled – Darran Lingley is Britain’s Top Licensee!

The results of the award remained a secret until the BII Annual Lunch which all four finalists attended.  The four finalists were:

• Lee & Keris De Villiers MBII, The Nightingale Pub, Balham, London
• Mark & Hayley Foster FBII, The Hare and Hounds, Corsham, Wiltshire
• Darran Lingley MBII from the Five Bells in Colne Engaine, Colchester, Essex
• Barbara & Edward May from the Great Western Hotel and Steam Bar & Restaurant, Newquay, Cornwall

To even become a finalist in this challenging competition is praise indeed. All finalists had to operate an extremely high level to even make it to the final stage.

Darran Lingley was presented with his award by Neil Robertson, BII Chief Executive, BII Chairman, Martin Grant and Paul Linthwaite, Business Unit Direct, On-Premise and was witnessed and celebrated by a packed audience from all areas of the licensed retail industry.

Being crowned BII Licensee of the Year is the most prestigious accolade available in the on trade. BII Licensee of the Year began 26 years ago in 1985 and is the longest running competition which recognises professionalism and excellence in our sector. The award is organised by BII, the professional body for the licensed retail sector, and BII Chief Executive Neil Robertson congratulated Darran on his outstanding success in the industry to date. Neil commented: “Congratulations to Darran.  Darran is a fantastic licensee and his high levels of professional management have led to an inspiring pub business that makes his customers happy, his community proud and, I suspect, his bank manager content too.”

Darran impressed the judges on so many fronts and for so many reasons. There was a strong sense among the judges that here was the best of what traditional licensees stand for, in terms of hospitality and community spirit, combined with all the entrepreneurial flair and ambition of a modern retailer fully attuned to the fast changing world.

The judges felt that Darran was determined to keep innovating and developing his pub, never wishing to stand back and feel the job was done.

Darran’s pub is deeply immersed in its community; it provides a multitude of activities for its customers to take part in, ranging from bell ringing to traction engine rallies to Help For Heroes fund-raising events, as well as providing excellent food, it’s still a proper pub that locals want to visit just for a drink and a chat.

Unsurprisingly, Darran has a great training ethic. And it has a wonderful team of co-workers, determined to make every customer visit ‘Great’. And, just as importantly, the judges could see that Darran’s deep love of his pub, his customers and the licensed trade as a whole will make them wonderful ambassadors for our industry.

To reach the final stage of the award, Darran had succeeded in the previous three rounds of judging including a rigorous visit by main BII Licensee of the Year judges John Vereker CBII and John Sharratt CBII.  During the final round, Darran and the other three finalists, were put through their paces by three panels of industry experts answering questions on areas such as marketing and business development, industry issues and managing HR and training.

Darran now has the opportunity to use the exclusive 2011 BII Licensee of the Year logo, and the status associated with winning, to maximum effect, his business will also benefit from extensive local, national and trade publicity throughout the year and there will be opportunities for Darran to build his profile on the back of his association with BII – and his recognition as the best in the industry.

ENDS