Lager giant Heineken will reopen 62 'lost' pubs across Britain
- Is YOUR pub set to reopen? Email [email protected]
Heineken is set to reopen 62 ‘lost’ pubs across Britain after they were shut amid the cost-of-living crisis.
The lager giant’s retail arm, Star Pubs & Bars, is planning to reopen or upgrade more than 600 pubs across the UK in a £39million expansion in a bid to attract punters working from home.
The move will include reopening more than 60 pubs in 2024, with 94 other sites set for refurbishments and the rest set to receive other varying upgrades.
The brewing giant said it wants to ‘broaden each pub’s use and appeal’ following a surge in the number of people working remotely.
It comes as the British Beer and Pub Association reported that more than 500 pubs shut permanently last year, leaving 45,306 still running in the UK.
Meanwhile, it has predicted 750 more pubs could close by July after the industry was battered by lockdowns, a cost-of-living crisis and soaring energy costs.
Bar chain Slug and Lettuce fears thousands of its venues could shut as the company scrambles to plug £2billion in debts, while Wetherspoon has seen its profits surge and hopes to reopen more than 1,000 boozers.
Is YOUR pub set to reopen? Email [email protected]
The Cherry Tree in Witham, Essex, had its reopening launch celebration this weekend following a £180,000 upgrade
Some of the pubs set to reopen have been revealed by Heineken’s retail arm, Star Pubs & Bars
Heineken’s investment will include ‘subtle zoning’ work aimed at encouraging customers to enjoy different activities such as watching sports, giving punters more incentive to visit throughout the day.
Among the pubs to reopen this year include The Cherry Tree in Witham, Essex, who had its reopening launch celebration this weekend following a £180,000 upgrade.
The Crown & Anchor in Aveley, Essex, reopened on Thursday following a £244,000 refurbishment that transformed the venue into a a local revolving around sports and entertainment.
Meanwhile, The Wildmoor Oak at Wildmoor near Bromsgrove will open later this month, following a £513,000 revamp which turned the venue into an independent gastro pub, creating 20 new jobs.
As many as 1,100 new jobs are set to be created by the £39million investment into refurbishments and reopenings in 2024.
Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs’ managing director, said: ‘People are looking for maximum value from visits to their local.
‘They want great surroundings and food and drink as well as activities that give them an extra reason to go out.’
Lawson Mountstevens, chief executive at Star Pubs & Bars, said: ‘Fundamentally, the changes in people’s working habits means that in a lot of these suburban locations, you’ve got more people who are around those areas a lot more.
‘It’s not rocket science. Those people are looking for pubs of a certain standard.’
It comes as profits at budget boozer chain JD Wetherspoon have rocketed by more than £31million in a year, the beloved pub firm revealed last month.
In a staggering jump in finances, it reported pre-tax profits surged by almost eight-fold to £36million for the year to January – up from £4.6million the year before.
It is thought cash-strapped Brits are turning to Spoons for a cheaper night out, instead of their local pubs – with Wetherspoon looking to up its venues from 814 to 1,000.
Total sales at the booze chain giant hit £991miillion, a hike of 8.2 per cent as more punters appear to be turning to the discount chain over local independents, where the price of an average pint has soared due to ballooning costs.
Meanwhile, Slug & Lettuce fears that 4,500 pubs could shut as the company scrambles to plug £2billion in debts.
The firm, which owns Be At One and has a network of over 4,400 bars and pubs, completed a takeover of rival Ei before the pandemic – before the industry was battered by lockdowns, a cost-of-living crisis and soaring energy costs.
Now it has warned of a ‘material uncertainty’, as it has not yet agreed on loans to replace the £2billion debt which is due for repayment in June 2025.
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