Marston's franchisee crowned 'Young Franchisee of the Year 2014'!

Marston’s franchisee Aaron Stewart has been crowned ‘Young Franchisee of the Year’ at the bfa HSBC Franchisee of the Year Awards 2014. Following a rigorous judging process, the awards took place during a black-tie ceremony in Birmingham Town Hall, hosted by Steph McGovern on Thursday 2nd October. Recognising individuals for their exceptional contributions to franchising in the UK, six category winners were selected each receiving a £1,000 prize for their efforts.

Aaron’s win was in recognition of his dedication to quality standards, attention to detail and fantastic business results all achieved at the young age of 29. Fiercely ambitious, he left school with a steely determination that saw him quickly make his mark in the pub sector, rising to management level aged just 20, quickly increasing pub turnovers and reducing costs to win multiple ‘Manager of the Year’ titles. He realised he wanted to run his own business and found his perfect partner in Marston’s, whose support he says is crucial to his success and allows him to maintain a real focus on customer service and business development.

Aaron now operates two of the top performing pubs within the Marston’s franchise network and is an elected representative of Marston’s Franchise Advisory Council, working in conjunction with the franchisor and other franchisees in his region to drive business improvement. Having devised a hugely popular £999 wedding package he has also been approached by the BBC for inclusion in a wedding documentary set to air later this year.

Aaron commented: “It is great to achieve such an industry accolade before I’ve even reached 30. My staff have contributed a lot to this win, their dedication and commitment to upholding standards have got us to this award winning point. I hope I can inspire other aspiring young entrepreneurs to see what’s possible with the right franchise behind you”.