Burton based Punch Taverns has been crowned leased and tenanted Pub Company of the Year 2006 at the industry’s equivalent of the Oscars.

The UK’s largest pub company received the prestigious accolade at the annual Publican Awards ceremony, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Tuesday 21 March.  It is the second time the company has had its success recognised, having scooped the title in 2004.

There was also success for two of Punch’s outlets – the company’s namesake pub the Punch Tavern in London, run by John Taylor and Sunnil Panjabi, was voted Catering Pub of the Year and the duo were also highly commended in the Marketing Pub of the Year category.   Newcomers of the Year went to Mike Smith, Alison and Nigel Oxford of the Three Compasses in Hornsey, London.

Punch Taverns customer services director Francis Patton said: “Winning this award is fantastic.  We’re not only the number one pubco in terms of size but now officially the best in the country. 

“We recognise that our success is based on working in partnership with the thousands of entrepreneurs who run our pubs.  In the last 12 months in particular we have made great strides to improve our service levels. 

“We have invested in our award winning training programmes for our business partners – the retailers – and our employees. 

“Last year also saw the biggest shake up in the industry with the new Licensing Act coming into force.  We handled the largest number of licensing applications compared to any other business, processing over 90% on behalf of our retailers (6,544). And we also trained up our business relationship managers to go along to the hearings on our retailers’ behalf.”

Punch – which fought off competition from Shepherd Neame, Thwaites, Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises, Trust Inns and the Union Pub Company – was praised by the judges for its wide range of innovations in 2005.  They also commented on the top rate support Punch provides to its retailers and the internal culture being comparable to that of a high street retailer.

Being named the Pub Company of the Year comes at the end of a busy year for Punch, which saw the company complete the leisure industry’s deal of the year last December when it acquired fellow Burton based pubco The Spirit Group.  The deal saw Punch’s estate increase to 9,600 with 1,800 of those remaining as managed houses under the Spirit name. 

This deal was also officially recognised at another leading industry awards ceremony this month (March) where Punch was voted Investor of the Year at the M&C Report’s Retailers’ Retailer awards.  And Punch has been shortlisted in the national Employee Benefits awards for Communications Strategy of the Year and Use of Group Risk and Rehabilitation Benefits.

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For further information please contact Jo Mathers or Nick Trueman at Seal Communication on 0121 200 0780