AN Oxfordshire pub company has been named one of the best companies to work for in the country.

Peach has been singled out as a top employer in its industry in this year's Best Companies to Work For awards, announced on Friday.

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It raced up to number 24 in the league of the nation's best companies, and received a three-star accreditation, highlighting it as world-class.

The North Aston-based business, which runs five pubs in the county including The Fishes in Oxford, The Fleece in Witney and The Bear & Ragged Staff in Cumnor.

As well as officially being one of the UK's 100 Best Large Companies to Work For, Peach came sixth in the UK's Top 20 Leisure & Hospitality Companies to Work For and was named the ninth best employer in the East of England, the 13th in the Midlands and the 20th in the South East.

Peach Managing Director Hamish Stoddart said: "It's our vision, we Make Life Peachy. Ever since we started Peach twenty years ago, we've genuinely put our people first. We've always believed they are the heart of a pub and utterly central to our success.

"Shared ownership and the longevity of our team prove this. This last year, during the pandemic, we knew it was more important than ever to take good care of the team especially when the pubs were closed and the team furloughed. It was the perfect opportunity to prove it, and we did.

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"We worked incredibly hard to look after the physical and mental well-being of our people especially during lockdown. We took the opportunity to reaffirm our support to our team, both financially and through keeping in close contact and volunteering together to support the towns we’re proud to be at the heart of.

"We have come through together, staying true to our vision of being a great place to work, learn and grow. We are delighted to be recognised as a Three Star, world-class employer."