2010 BII Licensee Of The Year Unveiled – Richard & Loren Pope are Britain’s Top Licensees!

The results of the award remained a secret until the BII Annual Lunch which all six finalists attended.  The six finalists were:
 
Nigel & Sue Anstead FBII from The White Horse, in Bedford
Mark Barton MBII from the Taychreggan Hotel & Restaurant in Dundee
Darran Lingley MBII from the Five Bells in Colne Engaine, Colchester, Essex
Lucy and Mark Barron-Reid MBII from The Bull at Benenden, in Benenden, Kent
Gerry Price FBII from The Inn @ West End, in West End, Woking, Surrey
Richard & Loren Pope from The Bulls Head, in Repton, Derbyshire

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.
 
A delighted Richard and Loren were presented with their award by Neil Robertson, BII Chief Executive 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 probably the most prestigious accolade available in the on trade. BII Licensee of the Year began 25 years ago in 1985 and is probably 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 Richard and Loren on their outstanding success in the industry to date. Neil commented: “ All six of our finalists really proved that they are at the top of their game, and with the challenging circumstances the industry face, it’s a very difficult game to be at the top of. Which makes winning even more significant when you’re up against the very best. Richard and Loren proved to the judges that they are switched on, business-savvy remarkable publicans who really know how to run a fantastic business that is really in tune with its customers and delivers on all levels.
 
Richard and Loren have been licensees for 3 years, but Richard has over 21 years’ experience in the industry. They started running the Bulls Head as Punch tenants three years ago, but within the last six months purchased the freehold from Punch.
 
Richard and Loren took the Bulls Head on when it was a derelict building and have succeeded in achieving significant growth in food and drink income streams ever since they opened. 
 
The couple employ over 60 people, all employees go through a structured one-to-one training programme and they are currently in the process of developing an online training programme, which the couple hope will raise standards even further and allow for more ‘cross-training’ opportunities.
 
To reach the final stage of the award, Richard and Loren 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, Richard and Loren, like the other five 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. The judging panels commented that Richard and Loren are a fantastic team who fit well together, have great vision and really show the “wow factor”. They’ve set out to do everything with a difference – one example being their Christmas last year which was not just a pub Christmas but one with the biggest Christmas tree in the area, two snow machines and a 40-piece orchestra for the carol concert!
 
Richard and Loren now have the opportunity to use the exclusive 2010 BII Licensee of the Year logo, and the status associated with winning, to maximum effect, their business will also benefit from extensive local, national and trade publicity throughout the year and there will be opportunities for Richard and Loren to build their profile on the back of their association with BII – and their recognition as the best in the industry.
 
Find out more about BII Licensee of the Year

Contact

BII Marketing Team
Email: comms@bii.org
Telephone: 01276 684449