BARRACUDA Group, the pub operator, has been named Managed Pub Company of the Year and Retail Brand of the Year for its student theme bar brand Varsity.

The group, which runs a Barracuda and a Varsity outlet in Bolton town centre, was given the accolade by trade magazine The Publican Newspaper at a ceremony in the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane.

Barracuda Group was set up in July 2000, by a management team led by Mark McQuater and backed by PPM Ventures, the venture capital arm of the Prudential. The company has more than 150 pubs across the UK, with 3,500 employees and a turnover of £90 million.