Pub group wants to upgrade venues for changing times
MORE than 700 jobs will be created by Heineken across the UK as part of a £42 million investment plan for its pub operation.
Over a quarter of the brewing giant’s Star Pubs & Bars venues – will be upgraded as part of the move. It comes after two years of the UK hospitality industry being hit hard by pandemic regulations as the industry targets a strong period of recovery in 2022.
The firm said 137 of its pubs will receive big revamps costing at least £125,000 as it continues to refresh and update its property estate. The latest cash injection will bring the total investment in refurbishing its pubs to £115 million since the pandemic first hit, said a Heineken spokesman.
The company, whose pubs in the area include the Unicorn in Newton Solney and The Middle Bell in Barton under Needwood, will focus on upgrading suburban pubs and those on high streets near residential neighbourhoods which have benefited from an increase in homeworking, it says.
Refurbishments will include kitchen refits and new bars at a number of sites.
The group is also focusing on improving outdoor seating areas across some of its pubs amid a continued increase in demand for alfresco drinking and dining, reports Hull Live.
Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Star Pubs & Bars, said: “People have stayed closer to home over the last two years due to the pandemic and turned to their local for the kind of experience they’d previously have travelled to a city centre, restaurant or bar to find.
“They don’t want to turn back time: they expect better quality including food and speciality drinks – such as cocktails – that are harder to recreate at home. The cost-of-living squeeze on wallets is magnifying these trends.
“People are looking for a really great experience when they go out – these are challenging times. However, we are confident that pubs which adapt to pubgoers’ changing needs will have a bright, longterm future.”