Licensee of the Year Award 2023!

As the most prestigious award for an individual or partnership of licensees
in our industry, we are looking forward to finding our
Licensee of the Year Award winners.

We have had over 300 nominations this year and have
now announced our Finalists.
We want to thank everyone who showed interest and put effort
into entering our competition.

Michelle Gilmour
The Old Windmill, CV1 3BA

Located in Coventry, The Old Windmill is a stunning 15th Century pub with a fireplace and a warm place to read a book. This pub has a great blend of old and new.

Tommy Fox
The Barrelman, DD1 2AJ

Representing Scotland, The Barrelman is located in the Dundee city centre. Providing a wide range of drinks and food, this bar and restaurant will help you discover a world of flavours.

Lee and Keris De Villiers
The Pig & Whistle, SW18 5LD

A neighbourhood pub in Wandsworth, London at the heart of it's community. Providing great local beers and fresh food, both traditional and with a South African twist.

Joe Buckley and Flo Pearce
The Tollemache Arms, NN6 9NU

This 17th Century pub located in Harrington, Northampton, is loved by it's community. Using locally sourced products, they provide a wide range of menu options.

Ollie Coulombeau
The Turk's Head, TW1 1LF

This Twickenham loved local is perfect for whatever you're looking for: a quiet pint, delicious meal, action packed sports or a barrel of laughs - they've got it!

Samantha and Mark Robinson
The Queens Head, LA23 1PW

Nestled in Troutbeck Valley, The Queens Head is a cosy haven full of history. With a warm Lakeland welcome for everyone, this 17th Century pub is a great place for Lake District explorers.

Click Below To See Our Finalists

Click Below To Meet Our Judges

Watch our short video reel of the Finalists' day for LOYA22 at Sky!

In partnership with Sky, the Licensee of the Year Award is widely regarded as the most rigorous and hard-fought award for individual licensee operators in the UK. 

Meet our LOYA 2022 Winners,
Nick and Amanda Hemming
Heron Inn, Malpas

"We’re still pinching ourselves to make sure this wasn’t just an incredible dream!

To be involved in such an amazing event has been wonderful, thank you to the team at BII for their support we can’t wait to work closely with you all to share our love and passion for this incredible Industry. 
All 6 finalists run exceptional pubs, and are the most wonderful people that we’ve been lucky enough to meet."

Click the image to read more.

Meet our previous Winners

Our LOYA 2021 Winners

Jason and Chris Black
The Pityme Inn
Wadebridge, PL27 6PQ

"It has been a rollercoaster of emotions getting through to the finals, with each stage of the competition giving us an opportunity to reflect upon our business and everything that we have achieved."

Our LOYA 2019 Winners

David Hage and Mark Osborne
The Railway, Lowdham
Nottingham NG14 7DU

"I'm the most surprised and gobsmacked that I've ever been about anything. Having just won Licensee of the Year Award at probably the biggest event we shall ever go t, in front of 800 people - it just doesn't get any better than that!

Our LOYA 2018 Winners

Alex and Tanya Williams
The Polgooth Inn
Polgooth, PL26 7DA

"After the BII Award we had a fantastic staff party to thank all our staff and our suppliers for helping us get to where we needed to be. We felt we wanted to shout about it in a way that was appropriate."

Meet our Partners

HGEM are the market leaders in Guest Experience Management. With nearly 20 years of experience they have worked with most of
the brands across UK high-streets, helping hospitality businesses grow through actionable guest insights.

HGEM provides the mystery guest visits that contribute to the LOYA judging process, and gives entrants highly valuable feedback on the customer experience in their pub.

Find out more on the HGEM website.

Cask Marque is a not-for-profit, independent awarding body championing beer quality in pubs. 

Cask Marque was formed in 1998 to improve beer the quality of beer in the glass. Their purpose continues to be to improve beer quality for drinkers, raise awareness and educate on the impact of beer quality industry wide.

Previously Cask Marque checked beer in the glass but from the 1st January 2023 they have started star rating cellars. The Beer & Cellar Hygiene audit is carried out annually in pubs that hold a Cask Marque or Beer Marque accreditation. Their expert Auditors have 11 criteria to check when they visit, all are vital for great beer quality as well as improving yields both profit drivers.. Following a visit, the cellar is rated from 1* to 5* (with a 4* being the minimum pass rate). There is a direct correlation between cellar rating and beer quality and consumers are keen to see a 4* or 5* cellar rating when choosing a pub.

This year, we are delighted to be partnering with Cask Marque for our Licensee of the Year Awards, meaning every Semi-Finalist will have a visit from their Auditors to provide a cellar star rating if they are not already part of the scheme. This will provide our judging team with more in-depth information than ever before as we assess the 12 pubs in the running for the finals of this prestigious and hard fought award.

To find out more information on Cask Marque and how you can benefit go to the
Cask Marque website.

Useyourlocal.com was founded in 2009, celebrating the role of local pubs and bars in communities, and actively encouraging
people to visit their local more often by connecting pubs and brands with consumers. 

The site lists every one of the UK’s 50,000 pubs, bars and clubs on its platform.

Every month, up to 1,000,000 consumers visit the platform to find and follow all their favourite pubs and bars, and to help them plan their pub visits. 

There are currently more than 120,000 members who have also signed up to follow one or more local pubs and receive regular updates from them about what’s happening, where and when.

Stuart Mills, Founder of useyourlocal says: ‘We know that many pubs still struggle with their online presence, and that 30% of pubs might not even have their own website. We also know that 76% of consumers would go to pubs more often if it was easier for them to find exactly what they’re looking for. This initiative helps us to put that right and to drive our huge audience of pub lovers into pubs. 

To claim your pub, licensees simply need to go to useyourlocal.com, find your pub, claim your page for free and update it with everything that’s great about your business.

Shaw Gibbs are a top 100  accountancy practice who provide expert solutions for entrepreneurial businesses and private individuals in Central and Southern England. They invest in their teams of high-quality specialists who work with the best-in-breed technology to create value for clients which exceeds expectation. In April 2023, Shaw Gibbs set up an office in Basingstoke which is being lead by Tim and comprises of a team of 10 who have worked with Tim in the area for numerous years. Find out more on their website.