The shut pubs reopening as Heineken invests £39m – is your local on the list?
Heineken is to invest £39m in more than 600 of its UK pubs in a move that will create more than 1,000 jobs, the company has said – also allowing it to reopen 62 long-term closed pubs this year.
Over a quarter of its 2,400-strong pub estate – 612 pubs – are in line for improvements via the programme.
The cash injection into its Star Pubs operatioIt comes on top of similar plans in recent years. It will mean there has been more than £200m in investments since 2019, and will restore the number of operating pubs to pre-pandemic levels.
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By the end of the year, Heineken aims to have reopened 156 such pubs since the start of 2023.
It comes as the British Beer and Pub Association reported 530 pubs shut for good last year – a number greater than closures at the height of the pandemic – leaving 45,306 still operating in the UK.
Refurbishments will “concentrate on transforming tired pubs in suburban areas into premium locals”, as people commute less regularly into city centres for work.
Star said this would include “subtle zoning” work to appeal to different customers so they can cater for various customer activities, such as watching sport and dining.
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 such as sports screenings and entertainment.
“Creating fantastic locals that can accommodate a range of occasions meets this need and helps pubs fulfil their role as vital third spaces where communities can come together.”
Where are pubs being reopened?
Among the first of the revitalised pubs to reopen was The Cherry Tree in Witham, Essex, after a £180,000 upgrade. Star pubs said the transformation had created a family-friendly community village pub offering great quality affordable food and live entertainment.
Also in Essex, the Crown & Anchor in Aveley, reopened last week after a £244,000 refurbishment that will see it specialise in sports and entertainment.
The Wildmoor Oak at Wildmoor, near Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, is set to reopen its doors later this month after a £513,000 refit to turn it into a gastropub, creating 20 new jobs.
In Northern England, pubs earmarke to reopen this year include: the Black Bull, Ecclesfield, Sheffield; the Hesketh Tavern, Cheadle Hulme, Stockport; and the Junction, Wombwell, South Yorkshire.
In the East Midlands they include the Manvers Arms, Radcliffe on Trent, Nottinghamshire; the Punch Bowl, West Hallam, Derbyshire; and the Talbot, Cheslyn Hay, Stafffordshire.
In southern England, spruced-up pubs include the Rose of Denmark, Bristol; The Winterton Arms, Chiddingfold, Surrey; and Roxy’s Steak & Tap, Twickenham, south-west London are set for transformation.
Star said some refurbishments would also include overhauling cellars with new dispensing equipment, and measures to improve energy efficiency, such as heating controls.
Heineken’s investment is another sign the UK’s pub industry may be turning a corner after suffering from the devastating double blow of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
Last week, pub chain and brewer Greene King said it plans to open a new £40m brewery by 2027. The company, which owns brands such as Abbot Ale, Greene King IPA and Old Speckled Hen, said the move reflected its “commitment to British brewing”.